A Recurring Nightmare
by bookchomper101
Summary: Robin and Batman haven't visiting the cave in forever, and when they do, something is wrong. Can the Team figure it out before everything comes crashing down on them. Set during Season 1.
1. If Only

**Hello! This is my first Young Justice fanfiction story, and I'm soooooooo excited! Fangirl scream! This will be Robin centric, and I'm sort of borrowing the starting idea from .1.0's story 'Catch Me When I Fall', with Robin being injured and having to stay with the Team. It's a really good story. You should definitely check it out! But everything else is different! I promise! Please enjoy and feedback would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!**

**By the way, I have not finished watching the first season, yep, I'm a late comer. And I don't know what happens completely, as of now, I just finished the episode with the Terror Twins, so sorry if any of the facts are wrong because of it. But there will be no Zatanna or Rocket since I don't know nothing about them, sorry.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. If I did, there would be much more of Robin and Batman awesomeness. And there would be flashbacks and stuff. (yeah for my obsessedness with Robin!)**

Chapter 1: If only

Star City: 10:00 pm

Wally sat on his couch at home, watching the TV. He saw the breaking news of a joint escape of Scarecrow and Joker. He saw the abandoned warehouse that they had barricaded themselves in (why was it always warehouses, what was with originality people). He saw and heard the cheers of the crowd when the dynamic duo arrived.

Wally turned off the television.

He had seen that sort of thing time and time again. Villain escapes, Robin and Batman drag them back to Arkham. Same old, same old. You could only watch them so many times before they became boring.

If only he had stayed.

If only he had stayed. He would have seen the mushroom cloud of gas erupt from the building. He would have seen the people of Gotham screaming and running in terror. He would have seen them succumbing to Joker venom. He would have heard the maniacal laugh that the Joker was famous for. And he would have heard a tortured scream.

Gotham: 11:00 pm

The batmobile raced into the batcave, startling Alfred out of his wits. He had been dusting, awaiting the dynamic duo's return.

"Goodness gracious, Master Bruce! Are you trying to give your old butler a heart attack?" said the Englishman, walking towards the car.

He stopped when the black-clad superhero exited the vehicle and bent to lift an unconscious Robin from the passenger seat.

"Good grief!" was all the butler could say.

Robin was a mess. His uniform was torn in numerous places, and he was covered with blood. His face was deadly pale, contrasting with the wide-spread grin that distorted his lips.

"Joker venom, I see." Alfred managed again. He didn't know what to say, and Bruce was ignoring him completely.

"And scarecrow as well." Bruce said. It broke the silence, but it didn't comfort the butler. If filled him with even more fear.

Alfred looked at the small boy again. He could see that his eyes were shut, only black showing on his mask. And he was twitching. Moans escaped his bloody lips and an occasional cry as well. And with each one, Bruce flinched.

"You cannot blame yourself, Master Bruce."

"Yes I can."

"No you can't. This wasn't your fault."

"…"

"Here, let me help you with him."

"No, this I can handle myself, Alfred." Bruce's tone was biting, but Alfred knew not to take offence. Bruce was just worried.

"Shall I call Dr. Leslie?"

"Yes, yes. And tell her it's an emergency." Throughout all of this, Bruce's eyes stayed riveted on Dick, as if afraid that he would vanish if he looked away.

As Alfred hurried off, the silence was broken with a piercing scream.

**First. Chapter. Done. YES! Please read and review! I would really appreciate the feedback. It also really motivates me to write more.**

**And I plan to update weekly. So if there's no update, it's because of something serious. I hate it when you have to wait forever for a story, so I won't put you people through the agony. Stay tuned next week.**


	2. Dealing with the Aftermath

**I'm back again! Yeah, second chapter! I'm sooo excited! Can you tell I'm easily excited? I'd like to thank Ichigochan626, Rosekittylol, Darkseider, lindz4567, Loretta Grayson, Robinisasterous, FuzzyBee013, and Treehugger13 for favoriting, following, and reviewing. It really means a lot to me to know this is loved and all.**

**To yuu101cutie, I will be making the chapters longer. The first was sort of a prologue of sorts. And thanks for the compliments! They make me feel all warm and fuzzy! Aaah! :)**

**By the way, I'm sorry if this chapter is slightly inaccurate. I'm not a doctor or a doctor student person. I'm a teenager who likes food. In fact, I don't like the sight of blood, though I can handle it if I'm cooking with meat. How that makes sense, I don't know. So if some of the descriptions here are off, I apologize in advance.**

**Also, I don't really know how to use private messaging. I don't want to bore you all with lengthy author's notes like these. So if you could possibly tell me how to use this, I could reply to your reviews instead of taking up space here. Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. If I did, I would have de-aged them all at some point, and let people go crazy over their absolute adorableness. Because you have to admit, that would make an awesome episode!**

Chapter 2: Dealing with the Aftermath

Gotham: 3:00 am

When Dr. Leslie arrived at the batcave, she was shocked. Everything was in disarray. Well, as in disarray as the batcave could get. Alfred was pacing back and forth, shut out of the medical room by a very anxious bat. And Robin, well, she could here the alternating screams of agony and grief intermixed with demented, crazy laughter.

She took a deep breath, steeled herself, and walked in. Bruce was holding the thrashing boy down, trying to keep him from hurting himself. It wasn't working. He had broken bones, and his sudden movements were agitating them. A bit of bone had even broken through the skin of his right forearm.

"A little help here, Leslie," Bruce basically screamed it in her ear.

"Of course, Bruce." She said, coming over. "What on earth happened?"

"Joker and Scarecrow." Bruce's face darkened, and Dr. Leslie paled.

"Oh my, there's no time to waste then."

She rushed to the cabinets that lined the walls, and searched for the cure for Joker venom. They always had a vast supply. You never knew when you might need a cure, whether for the two superheroes or a large population. When she found it, she turned to Bruce.

"How long was he subject to the venom?"

"Ten minutes."

She loaded out a large dose; it was a long time to have a high concentrated gas inhaled, especially Joker venom. Even small amounts could be deadly if that was all you were breathing in. And who knew how much oxygen Robin had gotten during those long ten minutes.

But when it came to injecting the antidote, there was a problem. Robin wouldn't take it. He screamed and thrashed so much that the needle couldn't be put into a vein. Not to mention the tiny detail of one of his arms being broken.

In all, it was a difficult battle.

But hard won. Dr. Leslie and Bruce worked for a full fifteen minutes and thirty-eight seconds, not that Bruce was counting or anything, to insert the needle into Robin's arm. And then they had to wait another forty-nine seconds, at this point Dr. Leslie was thinking that Bruce was OCD, for the serum to take effect and stop the laughter.

They shared a moment of mutual relief, but it was short lived. They had to flush the fear toxin from Scarecrow out of Robin's system, it was a new strain that the madman had developed and there were no cures yet, and that would take all night.

And after that was accomplished, there were still his physical injuries to care for. All in all, it was going to be a long night.

**********four hours have now passed**********

When Alfred went to check on the young master, his heart broke. A multitude of blinking machines were hooked up to the young teenager, and the white sheets of the cots leeched the life out of his thin face. In this moment, never did Dick look more young and vulnerable. It was an awful reminder of what could happen in the instant of the moment.

Dr. Leslie had left an hour ago, saying that she had other patients to tend to. She had suggested that Bruce get some sleep, since he had received injuries in the battle, but Bruce had declined. He had been determined to stay by Dick's side until he woke up. He wouldn't leave his little bird to face the nightmares alone.

But that didn't mean that the nightmares would leave the Batman. Bruce muttered in his sleep, tossing and turning in the chair.

"No…Dick…no…stay away from him…not him…" his brow was furrowed, and his hands clenched the armrests.

"Master Bruce, wake up, it is just a nightmare, Master Dick is safe." Alfred whispered.

"No…Dick. Dick, NO!" Bruce shot away, starting from his chair in his panic.

He relaxed when he saw Dick, but only slightly. He sank back into his seat with a groan.

"What have I done, Alfred? Dragging Dick into this mess of a life." He sounded so dejected and hopeless. It broke Alfred's heart further to hear Bruce sound this way.

"May I remind you, Master Bruce, that Richard chose this life, he was not forced into it anyway by you," Alfred cleared his throat. "And this life is a good deal better than he would have had anywhere else. You have both done each other wonders of good."

"I know, Alfred, I know."

Both men sat by Dick's bed until the late morning, watching his chest rise and fall with each and every breath. They didn't eat breakfast and they didn't venture up into the mansion.

They were still there when a call came in from the watchtower.

"What could they be calling about?" Bruce wondered as he eased stiff muscles and walked to the computer to answer it.

**Hope you liked it! Please tell me what you think! I basically live on reviews, without them I would shrivel into one of the stuffed elf heads in Sirius's house from Harry Potter. So, unless you want that to be my sad and sorry fate, please talk to me. And I promise that I'll talk back. Pleeeeaaaaassssssseeeee!**


	3. Unexpected Calls

**Hey guys! Aaaaaaahhh! All the responses are amazing! I can't believe how many have favourited, and it's only the second chapter! Thank you so much! Thanks to for following!**

**To Rosekittylol: Thanks. I wanted to make Bruce freaking out, but not in the normal way, because Batman wouldn't run around screaming and showing emotion. Just because he's Batman**

**To Yuucutie101: Thank you so much for all the compliments! It's really nice to see that in my email and know that people read this. I am glad that you liked Bruce and Robin together. And in this chapter you will find out, and I might just borrow the idea about the watchtower, but twist it a bit! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. If I did, I would have had more interaction with the Justice League. You don't hear that much from them, and more normal conversation would have been welcome. Especially the original seven and such.**

Chapter 3: Unexpected Calls

Gotham: 7:15 am

The person calling was Wonder Woman. Her face was filled with worry, staring down at the impassive face of the Batman.

"I saw the news report. Is- is everything alright?" she whisper-shouted.

"…" The whites of the cowl narrowed slightly as Batman glared at her.

"I see. How bad is it?"

"You don't want to know." His voice came out as a growl.

"You have a big meeting today, Bruce. And you can't just cancel it like you usually do. This one will be broadcasted; you know how the paparazzi are when you buy new buildings and all."

"I know, Diana, I know."

"My mother is the seller."

"I know."

"You can't miss a meeting with an Amazon."

"…I know."

"Is Alfred-"

"Going to visit grandchildren. And I can't ask him to cancel for me. He already does that enough. He'll be gone all week."

"Well, I'm free today."

"What are you saying?" The whites narrowed even more.

"You know what I'm saying." She didn't know why he was beating around the bush.

"…"

"Fine, I'll say it. I'll watch him for you."

"…"

"Bruuuce…"

"Fine."

Diana sighed. Why he had to be so stubborn, she didn't know.

"I'll zeta there in about half an hour."

She went to disconnect the feed, but was stopped by Bruce awkwardly clearing his throat.

"Diana…. Thanks."

She smiled. A worried Bruce. That was it. That was the reason for the gruffness. He was very sweet that way. Not that she'd say that to his face, of course, but he couldn't read minds. She could think all the thoughts that she wanted.

And of course she forgave him.

7:45 am

Diana stood frozen in the doorway. She had seen Bruce hurt before on missions, and she knew how dangerous the criminals in Gotham were (real crazies, literally), but never had she seen injuries like Robin's. White bandages were wrapped around his arms and chest, and a cast coated his right forearm, and that wasn't even the half of it. He had never seemed more frail and helpless than he did now.

"It was worse last night." Diana jumped and immediately was on guard.

She only relaxed when she saw Bruce's old butler standing there. He had sneaked up on her; she thought only Bruce and Robin had that ability. But, in hindsight, it would make sense if their butler had the same skill set.

"Alfred," she gave him a small smile, and turned back to the sleeping boy. "I wasn't prepared for this, I thought, well, I thought that it wouldn't be this bad… What in Hera's name happened to him?"

"Only he can answer that question, Miss Diana, and he isn't in the condition to at the moment."

"Of course he's not, Alfred! Look at him!" She paused for a moment. "Look at him."

And then she was crying, sobbing in earnest, and leaning against the wall for support. She had met the child when he was just starting as Robin, and he had been through so much, and yet he had been so happy. He had changed Bruce and all the other Leaguers. He all had a place in their hearts. And he didn't deserve to suffer as much as he did.

"There, there Miss Diana, it will be all right. He bounces back, our Robin does, he always does," he passed her a tissue, which she used to mop up the mess on her face.

"Oh, Alfred, how can you stand it? Seeing them come home all cut up and broken, night after night."

"I have grown used to it, I suppose."

Diana gave a weak smile, but it lacked any heart. "I suppose," she echoed.

"Yes, but maybe I'm just telling myself that. To help me to sleep at night. It's never easy. This life never is."

"You do so much for them." Diana's voice was hushed, but filled with power.

"It's the least I can do, with all that they do for others." Alfred looked at his watch. "And I am sorry, I must take my leave, my taxi will be here shortly, and I don't want to keep the driver waiting."

He turned to leave, but was stopped by Diana. "Thank you." She whispered.

"No, thank you. It eases both of our minds, Bruce and mine, to know that there will be someone watching the young master. Good day, Diana, and good luck."

Diana, Wonder Woman, warrior of the Amazons, hero of Earth, stood watching Alfred walk up to the elevator that would take him to the manor and to his waiting taxi with sad eyes. Her eyes stayed glued to that elevator even after he had left. She was mulling thoughts over in her mind: of Robin and Batman, of Alfred, of the Team at Mount Justice, and of the villains that had done those horrible things to Robin.

She might have stayed there forever, but fate intervened. She heard a slight cough from where Robin lay, and all her thoughts except one were abandoned. All except here concern for the small broken bird.

**Ha ha ha! Cliffhanger! And you still don't know his total injuries. *dodges all the batarangs that fans throw at me* That will all be revealed in time, as I am the mastermind in this, and am rearranging the pieces of the game to be absolute liking! Mwahahahahahahahaha! Please R and R! I promise to talk back!**


	4. Anticipation

**Hey guys! I love writing this! It's so much fun! I will be writing in an omniscient POV from now on, so everyone's thoughts will be known! Mwahahaha, I am the master of everyone's fates! The puppet master pulling all the strings. I feel the power! I'd like to thank Marji0922, Iam221Blocked, mixxi, Swkid223, Birdspell, and weathergirl17248 for following and favouriting!**

**Swkid223: Oh my goodness, you read my mind! How did you predict what this chapter would be about! Holy cow! And yes, they are entering now, enjoy!**

**Birdspell: lol! That is the nicest review I ever got! Thank you so much! That just made me soooo happy! I'm really happy that you like the story!**

**I just watched the Homefront episode, and am so amazed by it. It just showed the epicness of Robin, and he's not just human, he's adorable and full of awesomeness!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. If I did, I would have had more angsty Robin-ness. He is sooo epic! And they don't put enough of him in the show! Noooo! I cannot withstand the withdrawal.**

Chapter 4: Anticipation

Happy Harbour: 10:00 am

Wally felt like hitting his head against the cave wall. He felt so stupid. For two weeks the Team had been waiting for a mission from Batman, with no luck. Heck, even seeing him and Robin for a split second would be an improvement.

And no one _had_ seen them. The last he had heard of the dynamic duo had been on that news report where they were raiding a warehouse. And Wally had turned off the TV!

Stupid.

But he hadn't told the Team that. He was taking enough guilt from himself; he didn't need any more from the others. He wouldn't be able to take anymore. Artemis, for one, would never let him live it down. Not to mention Connor or Kaldur or M'gann.

So here they were, the others sparring under BC's supervision, while Wally paced impatiently. He could feel his molecules starting to vibrate faster, and his feet were starting to feel warm from the kinetic friction.

"Uh, Wally, you might want to slow down, you know," he heard M'gann's voice call out.

"Why would I need to slow down? Is this speedster too quick for you, Megalicious?" He flashed (no pun intended) his signature grin.

"Well, there's a smoking hole in the floor for one, Baywatch." Wally didn't have to look to check who said that one.

Wally instead looked down. Oh. Part of the cave floor was blackened, with tendrils of smoke rising off of the surface. There was even an indent where he stood. Oops.

"Well, heh heh, you know me. Can't stay still and all," Wally chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm going to eat now. Good-bye."

"Wally, you must calm down for a moment. What is troubling you, my friend?" Kaldur stepped forward.

"I'm just worried about Rob, that's all." Wally tried to shrug it off. He didn't want the Team to see his guilt. He didn't want them to see his failure.

"I will also admit that I am concerned that we have not heard from them in a while," Kaldur said, "but we cannot dwell on such things. We must take into account the fact that this is the Batman and Robin that we are talking about. I believe that they can handle themselves."

Wally finally snapped. The pressure was too much. How could they dismiss it so easily! "You don't understand! Sometimes they just _can't_ handle everything! They get injured a lot! I've seen it! And they're only human, you know!"

There was a stunned silence after the outburst as the Team absorbed Wally's words. It was a sobering thought. They all knew the facts about Gotham, how it was one of the worst cities for crime, but they honestly had never really thought about the injuries that could be so easily afflicted.

To them Robin was always the Boy Wonder, invincible in his own way. Even though he was the youngest of them all, in a lot of ways he seemed much older. No one liked to think of him as 'only human'. No one liked to think of him as vulnerable.

"Wally, do you need to get something off your chest? You know my door is always open." Black Canary stepped forward from where she had been leaning against the wall. The Team jumped. They had forgotten she was there.

But for that, Wally had no flirtatious reply. The usually talkative speedster just slowly walked out of training silently.

5:00 pm

Everyone in the cave was restless. Wally still hadn't emerged from wherever he had gone. Kaldur had gone for a swim in the ocean, claiming that all the teenage hormones and emotions racing about were making him dizzy. Connor was watching static of course. Artemis and M'gann were in the kitchen talking quietly, only Connor could hear them and he wasn't talking.

Even Black Canary was affected. She had stayed in the training room after the kids had left, going through drills and periodically glancing at the zeta beams. No one knew what she was waiting for, and no one dared to ask. Her tight jaw and the sharpness with which she punched the air was enough to discourage conversation.

All in all, it was a _wonderful_ day. And that was sarcasm!

The whole team missed Robin. They had never noticed how much he lifted their spirits until he wasn't there. The whole place seemed emptier without his signature cackle and his continuous slaughtering of the English language. As much as that had gotten on their nerves before, they sure missed it now.

8:00 pm

The silence was deadening.

Nothing moved. Nobody talked. They just sat separately, wallowing in their own morbid thoughts.

No one had eaten supper. Not even Wally, who couldn't last an hour without some kind of food. No one was hungry, even though they all heard and felt their stomach's rumbling. It would have been impossible to swallow with the uneasy feeling in their guts.

Black Canary had long since retired. After staring at the depressed teenager, she had left for her room muttering to herself.

At least Kaldur and Wally had returned. Not that it had done much good. They just sat there with the rest of the Team, staring at their feet.

And then the zeta beams kicked up.

Recognized Batman 02. Robin B02.

A smile split everyone's faces. Their bird was home. He was alright. And Batman was here too! Maybe he had a mission for them. Maybe he would tell them where he and Robin had been.

Wally raced ahead of the others. He had to see them for himself. Before everyone else. He had to see that Robin was alright, that nothing has happened after Wally had turned off that television broadcast.

But once he saw the forming lights, he immediately knew something was wrong. While Batman was tall and broad as usual, Robin seemed very hunched and small, a dwarf to Batman's giant.

The others raced up to Wally as they watched the figures form and arrive. But when they could see the dynamic duo, they gasped. Their worst fears had been realized.

**Longest chapter yet! Yes! And you will have to wait for the next chapter to find out what Robin's injuries were! Mwahahahahaha! I love being the mastermind!**


	5. Discoveries

**Hey guys, I just saw Alpha Male and Revelations, and I was reduced to a screaming fangirl at the sight of it all. I mean, come on, Robin had more of a part in those episodes, so I was happy. And Joker was in Revelations, so I was happy. And Robin had some awesome one-liners ('timber'), so I was happy. And yes, I am easily amused. I'd like to thank ZigZaggy and dustfeather1864 for following!**

**Yuucutie101: Yeah, Wally really messed up! And thank you for all the positive comments! They're soooo nice to hear!**

**Weathergirl17248: Oh my! Thank youuuu! And I hope your head survives the story, cause it will get so much more awesome! :p**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. If I did, I would have added a cooler scene with the Joker and Robin, and also Poison Ivy. I mean, you know how bad the Gotham villains are, why did they have to cut their time so short? And make them so pathetic and complacent? I so would have added more one-liners for Joker, and I would have made him more funny and more scary (he was pathetic in the episode), and would have had an epic battle scene with the three of them. Yep, 'cause I'm just obsessed that way! And besides, they wouldn't have just given up that easy, it's not in their natures, they so would have tried to kill Batman as soon as he arrived. Screw the rest of the Justice League, they all can't own up to Batman and Robin.**

Chapter 5:

Happy Harbour: 8:15 pm

Robin felt all of their eyes on him. He could imagine it burning holes in his skin and setting fire to his clothes. He didn't want to know what their faces were. Pity. Sadness. Pity.

He didn't want their pity. He hated pity. It reminded him of his parent's death, and the looks he had received. They hadn't cared about what he had felt, just the news coverage and all. They had shown a front of compassion because everyone was watching. After they had stopped showing it all on the news, everyone had shown their true colours. They had hated him and had treated him like an outcast.

He knew the Team wasn't like the elite of Gotham, but he couldn't help but have his doubts. He had spent so long building a rep and building walls to hide weaknesses. Batman had drilled it all into him. Don't show weakness, and no one will take advantage of you. It came in handy as both Robin and Richard Grayson. Now it would all come crashing down.

"What on earth happened to you, Robin?!" KF was screaming at Robin, his voice hoarse.

Robin didn't reply.

He heard sobs coming from M'gann. "Oh, Robin," she whispered.

"Batman, what is the meaning of all this?" Kaldur's voice was eerily calm and quiet. There was no way to tell what he was thinking.

"What do you mean?" Batman's voice was cold and emotionless. Robin could almost see his eyes narrowing at the atlantian.

"What he _means,_ is how on earth did this happen to Robin?" KF was actually crossing Batman. What was he thinking? No one crossed Batman, not when he was like this, not even Superman. And KF thought he could? He must have a death wish. Robin wished him luck; he was going to need it.

"…" Robin heard the silence coming from Batman. So, the silent treatment, that's how he was going to play it. A bit immature, maybe, but perfect when dealing with an impatient speedster. Robin had often used that tactic on KF, and it had worked well. Wally couldn't stay still for long, and he certainly couldn't stay silent. Batman was going to win this hands down.

But then Black Canary arrived. Her high heels click-clacked on the stone floor, and her jean-jacket swished back and forth as her shoulders moved back and forth to match her angry steps. _Uh oh_, Robin thought, _angry mamma hen_.

"Batman," her tone was sharp, and she was probably breathing fire. Amend last statement: angry mamma dragon. Fire breathing dragon.

"Black Canary." Batman's voice was still calm, but Robin could hear the strain hidden beneath the even tones. Even bats could be scared by dragons.

"I want an explanation and I want it now. I expected to hear from you sooner."

"I will talk with you after I've taken Robin to his room. Is that satisfactory?"

"…Fine."

"But…" KF's voice had a hint of a whine in it. Poor Wally, he still hadn't gotten any answers. But at least he didn't have to deal with Batman.

Robin slouched down when I heard their footsteps fade. The pressure was lifted, he didn't have to have them staring at him any more.

"How you doing?" Batman's voice had softened for him.

"Tired. And I hate being helpless. Could you take me to my room, I think I'm ready to sleep." Robin just wanted it all to go away; he wanted to sweet forgetfulness that came from sleep. The brief respite from the pain.

"Sure, chum."

**********breakline**********breakline**********br eakline**********

"I can't believe them!" Wally yelled for the tenth time in a row.

"We know, Baywatch. We're all mad. But burning holes in the floor will get us nowhere." Artemis's voice lacked the normal sting though. She had no idea how this had happened. It was beyond explanation. It was beyond words.

The five teens stood in the kitchen, having been banished there by Black Canary as she went to talk with Batman. There were all in shock from what they had seen. How was Robin still alive? They were shocked by how he looked now, how had he looked two weeks earlier. What had he recovered from in that time?

"I can hear them." Connor broke the silence.

"What?" KF stopped his pacing.

"I can hear Batman and Black Canary."

"Let us in on it, then." Artemis said.

"But would that not be a violation of their trust. Wouldn't it be wiser to wait for them to tell us?" Kaldur, ever the responsible one, put in.

"They're not going to tell us. And Rob's our friend. We deserve to know." Wally was determined to help his best friend, no matter what. If breaking some rules were what it took, Wally would gladly break them.

"I can link us up." That was M'gann. Kaldur gave in. If M'gann was willing to break rules, then Kaldur was all for ignoring them just this once, for Robin.

They all leaned closer to Connor on instinct, who studiously ignored them. And then they heard it, the two superheroes talking.

"What happened, Batman?"

"A joint breakout from Arkham. Joker and Scarecrow."

KF looked down. He already knew that.

"You've handled them before, what made this time any different?"

"They were ready for us. They booby-trapped the warehouse. And you know they both like to use gases."

There was silence from Canary.

"They found a way to combine them. Robin didn't get his mask on in time. He was captured. I think you can guess the rest."

To this the Team was listening with varying degrees of understanding and horror. Wally and Kaldur understood the most, as they had been with the league the longest, and had heard the stories from their respective mentors. They knew what had happened to Robin, and how the villains of Gotham, Joker especially, liked to treat their victims.

Artemis also had some of an understanding of Gotham, as she lived there. No one lived in Gotham and didn't learn about its villains. To not do so was to be asking for trouble. Most read up on them for their own safety, their likes and dislikes, usual hideouts, and the type. It was the only way to survive. And Artemis was all about surviving.

She had watched tutorials and read web-pages so as not to become just one of those nameless victims you heard about on the news. That was not the time she would die; she would die a hero, not some plaything of a crazy. And of course she had heard of the Joker, who hadn't. She just didn't know who 'Scarecrow' was. Well, she would soon find out.

Superboy and Miss Martian were pretty much clueless in this area. Superboy being only several weeks old and all, and Miss Martian having only a sugar-coated version of earth in her mind, and growing up away from all the news you heard about. But they did understand the revulsion on their team-mates' faces, and they did see the damage that had been done to Robin. And they didn't like what they saw.

"I want to know why you brought him here, Batman. It isn't like you to do something like this." Black Canary started to speak again, and the Team put aside their thoughts for the time being.

"And what would be something that I would do?" Again with the expressionless tone.

"Oh, I don't know, like hole yourself up in your batcave and stay there until you're healed. Like your wounds."

"…"

"Why did you bring Robin here?"

"Joker and Scarecrow got away that night; I didn't have time to bring them in. While I was busy with Robin, they sprung the rest of the major villains out of Arkham. They're running loose through Gotham. I have to take care of the mess. And I can't be worrying about Robin what. so. ever." Batman's voice was painfully even, and it sent chills down everyone's spine.

They could see why criminals often wet themselves when faced with the Dark Knight in all his blackness. They were almost wetting themselves, and they weren't even in the same room as him.

"You'll have to speak to the Team, of course."

"Of course."

"And what about Robin's…condition? Will we have to treat him? His injuries are pretty complicated."

"Our doctor will be coming in daily to help him."

"…We'd better speak with the eavesdroppers then."

"Yes, we will." And that voice was spoken from right behind them.

The Team whirled around in shock and fright to find Batman staring them down with his arms crossed. They were receiving a bat glare, maybe not a full force bat glare, but a bat glare none-the-less. Behind him stood Black Canary, looking equally stern, just not as scary.

"H-hi BC, um, Batman. How's it goin'? Heh heh," Wally stammered. It was all he could do to not fall in a puddle of mush on the floor. The glare was _that_ powerful. He didn't know about the rest of the Team, but he hoped that Batman looked away soon. He didn't know how long he could hold control of his bowels. Not that long, he realized, as the glare was directed at him, and he felt his stomach start to tie itself in knots and his heart to beat faster.

"Batman," BC laid a hand on his shoulder, and with that, the glare stopped.

"What do you wish to talk to us about?" Kaldur seemed to look semi-composed, although he did look considerably nervous. Probably because they had been caught eavesdropping. Being the leader of the Team, having to be the responsible one, he was probably anticipating a reprimand.

"I assume that you've heard our entire conversation?" Batman addressed the leader.

"Yes sir."

"I will elaborate then."

All the Team's eyes were on him instantly, punishment forgotten. They could find out about Robin. Their curiosity outweighed their fear for the moment.

"I will be away in Gotham and Robin will be staying here with you. Our doctor will be visiting daily to tend to his injuries, and when she's not here, I expect you to make sure that his stay is comfortable."

"A-and his eyes?" Artemis put in. She had to know. "Is he-"

"He is not blind. The whites of his eyes were scratched in the fight, and they are recovering from surgery. Do not remove the bandages."

"What is the extent of his injuries?" That was M'gann's timid voice cutting through the stunned silence that followed.

"His right forearm and left upper arm are broken. His right upper leg and left foot as well. He has eight broken ribs and a punctured lung. His vocal chords are damaged and he cannot speak very loudly. There are forty-nine cuts on his torso and arms."

The silence that could be heard was deafening. Never had the Team heard of someone sustaining that much damage. None of them had ever seen someone in that condition, until now. And this was Robin two weeks after the event. What had he looked like before?

"I will be leaving now, and will be back in two weeks. Dr. Leslie has been programmed into the computer system, and will be arriving via zeta tubes. Do not attack her. Good night." And with that the Dark Knight swept out of the cave.

"What, how, why, what-" M'gann couldn't even form complete sentences.

Black Canary sighed. She suddenly looked so old and weathered. "We should all get some sleep. I have a feeling that it's going to be a very rough morning."

The whole Team slowly dispersed, still in shock from what they'd heard. It was unimaginable, that Robin, their little troll, the youngest of the group, was injured and to such an extent.

No one noticed Wally sink down onto the couch, his head in his hands. It was his entire fault. He should have been watching, he should have known. He- he didn't know. But all he knew was that there was an enormous ball of guilt eating him up from the inside, and he had no idea how to get rid of it.

What do you do when your best friend's stuck like this, and you have that nagging feeling that things can only get worse?

**Fifth Chapter Done! Yay! And now you know Robin's injuries!**

**Also, can you let me know who some of your favourite Gotham villains are. I know that I'm using Harley Quinn, Joker, Scarecrow, and Poison Ivy, but do you have any others that you think you should be in the mass breakout? Could you also tell me their personalities and stuff so that I can write them accurately? Thank you! Also, I don't know that much about Scarecrow, so if you could give me some advice about him, it would be much appreciated! Thanks so much guys!**


	6. Coffee and Waffles

**Next chapter! This is sooo exciting! I finally figured out where I'm going with this story, and now I can totally write faster and have this written up quicker. And the quicker this is finished, the sooner I can start writing up one of my other YJ ideas! And I have a lot of them! **

**I've gotten a lot of requests for Two Face, so that dude is a definite yes. And he sounds pretty bad and he'll be fun to write. I also am putting up a poll to see which villains you guys like the best. I am going to be using about six or seven and the ones with the most votes get in. So, please vote! I'd like to thank thebats24, roy23, and xMidnightAurorax for following and favouriting.**

**Roy23: Oh, thank you so much! I will be going into detail about all that, so stay tuned! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. If I did, I would have made Superman less of a jerk. I know it's hard growing up special and all, but can't you just accept the fact that you're sharing the spotlight now with a clone that is way awesomer than you. Just deal with it. Accept things. Get a life. You know, normal stuff.**

**There will be no slash in this story by the way.**

Chapter 6: Coffee and Waffles

Happy Harbour 5:30 am

Dick woke up with a start. He had been dreaming of Scarecrow and Joker again. Their grinning faces had been looming over his head and gas had been billowing everywhere. His heart had started beating faster and had broken out of his chest. It had lay there on the ground, beating for a second before stopping with a dull thud. There had been explosions of blood and screaming and of his parents falling falling falling. And then they landed and there was more blood and screaming. And as he struggled to take a breath through water-filled lungs, he saw Batman lunge in to save the day and gunshots tearing through the Kevlar on his chest. Both their visions faded to black.

And he had woken up with cracked lips and a dry mouth to more darkness. He stifled a sob, was this still his dream? Then he remembered, his eyes, they had been injured, and he couldn't see. It would remain dark for the next week as his injuries healed. But he hated the dark. It had always scared him as a kid, and it was still nerve-racking after nightmares.

Before there had been refuges from the darkness and the fear. A night light when he was younger. The light switch now. And Bruce, always. Bruce chased the nightmares away. He knew what he went through. He got his regret and pain and grief. He would stay with Dick until he fell asleep again, and with him watching over him, he wouldn't have any more nightmares on those nights.

But Bruce wasn't here now. He had told Dick when he put him to bed that he would be leaving after talking to the Team and the Black Canary. It was late, but not late for the Batman. And he still had to deal with that massive breakout.

Dick worried for Bruce. He knew he shouldn't need to. The Batman had handled himself years before Robin had joined the Dynamic Duo. But Dick knew that no one could watch Batman's back like Robin, and no one could sneak up on the Dark Knight when he was around. It was better when Robin was there. He worried less. He could see Bruce. They worked better as a team. And if he was injured, Robin could cover his back as he made his escape back to the Batmobile and the Batcave.

Yeah, he knew it was unrealistic to worry so much, but he still did. What could he do otherwise?

He knew it was early. He hadn't been able to change his alarm clock because of his arms. But he couldn't get up, couldn't get dressed, and couldn't even _shut off the alarm clock!_

He was stuck, and he didn't want to wake the others. That would be inconsiderate, and none of them were early risers. They all needed coffee to make it through the first hour. And he was near some heavy sleepers. Wally and Artemis had to have fog horns blaring in their ears. Dick had once done that, and Wally had just rolled over and continued to sleep. At least Artemis had woken up.

A sigh escaped his lips. He could try going back to sleep, but he didn't really want to. He would just have another nightmare, and with his luck it would be one that came with complimentary screams. No, sleeping was not an option here.

9:00 am

Connor slowly got up and went to the kitchen. No one was up yet, well, usually Robin was up. Where was the bird? Connor started to get worried for a moment before he realized that Robin was injured and probably sleeping in.

It was so quiet without him. He was used to seeing him curled up on a chair, reading. Connor would walk in and he would look up and say something obnoxiously cheery, like 'mornin' Supey' or 'sleep well, I didn't' or 'I want waffles, do you want waffles'. And Connor would grunt and pour coffee.

And even though there hadn't been much noise, it was still normal. There had always been Robin's quiet breathing and the rustling of book pages. Small morning noises…and coffee. Quiet calmness.

Now there was no one in that chair, and there was no morning greeting. Connor went to the carafe and realized that it had been Robin who made coffee every morning. In fact, Connor didn't even know how to make coffee.

Connor just sat down on the couch. Maybe the static would calm him down. He turned it on and just let the silence wash over him. There was something calming about staring at those black and white lines and hearing that neutral buzzing noise. It just let him empty his head of all his noise and anger.

And he had lots of anger.

Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep! The noise rose in the back of Connor's mind, his super hearing acting up. What was that? It was a very unusual noise. Connor had never heard it before. It was very loud, and very annoying. Connor wished it would stop, it felt like his eardrums were about to burst.

"Shut off, you stupid stupid stupid piece of junk machinery. I am _so_ throwing you at a wall as soon as I can." Connor all of a sudden heard a small voice mutter. It sounded hollow and distant: he was hearing it from a far. But who could it be? The voice sounded very familiar.

"Supey, please be awake," the voice spoke again. This time Connor was sure of the source. It was Robin.

He sat up and walked down the hallway. He thought he remembered where Robin's room was, but he couldn't be sure. It wasn't very often that Connor walked down this way, in fact, only Robin, Wally, Artemis, and M'gann went down this hallway. Connor had never even been here.

The beeping noise and the cry had come from the door at the very end of the hallway. It looked like any other door, but Connor knew different. He could hear the whir of mechanical gadgets in the walls, and he knew that if he tried to open the door, those gears would be activated and would trigger something. Yep, definitely Robin's room.

Connor hoped that Robin wouldn't be too upset with him ruining his door. But he had to get to his injured friend, and that piece of metal was in the way. And Robin had been calling for Supey, it would be wrong to just ignore him because of his door. Besides, Connor had super strength; doors didn't present any problem to him.

_Sorry door_, Connor thought as he gripped the edges with his fingers. _It was nice knowing you._

A loud tearing sound echoed down the hallway, and Connor winced. It wasn't a pleasant noise, a cross between nails on a chalkboard and an animal's dying screams. Hopefully the others in this hallway were deep sleepers; otherwise Connor would be facing some very angry teens.

Inside Robin's room, the beeping noise was even more loud and grating. It beat at Supey's eardrums in every second, and it really hurt. Connor grabbed the source and quickly threw it at a wall, silencing the offender forever.

Robin was lying on the bed, very still, staring at the ceiling. Well, he would be staring at the ceiling if he could see, but the bandages sort of got in the way. He didn't seem to notice that Connor had entered, but that didn't really say anything. Hadn't Connor seen countless times the stillness that the bats could stay in for hours and hours on end?

"Thanks Supey," Robin whispered.

"You're okay," Connor didn't know whether to voice this as a question or a statement.

"Just enjoying the sound of silence, without my alarm clock blaring in my ear. Couldn't you have woken up sooner; I thought I was going to go insane."

"How long was that thing on?" Connor's brow furrowed. He should have woken up sooner. He should have heard Robin calling.

"Oh, since five thirty," Connor froze. Holy cow, that was a long time, "but you know, it's kinda broken now, it won't be torturing anybody anytime soon."

There was an awkward pause as Connor tried to figure out what to say in response and Robin just lay there staring at nothing.

"Do you…want me to try to get you in your wheelchair," Connor stammered, "I'll try to be gentle and all, but I can't promise anything. I just don't think you want to be lying in bed any longer; I know I wouldn't be able to stand staying still for that long. But if you want to be left alone, I can leave-"

"Wow, Supey, I don't think I've heard you say that much all at once _ever_!" Robin chuckled, and then winced.

He waved Connor's hand away when he started forward to help the small bird. How he could tell Connor was reaching for him while being temporarily blind was lost on the clone. Maybe it was a bat thing.

"Actually, could you help me up? It's very exhausting doing nothing you know." Robin gave a small smile.

"Okay." This could be difficult. "But you're going to have to walk me through this so that I do this right."

"Sure, Supey… first you have to get the wheelchair and bring it over to the side of the bed. Otherwise there's nowhere for me to go."

"Okay." Connor found the metal chair in the corner leaning against the wall. It was folded up and it needed to have all the metal arms extended and locked in place. Once that was done, all Connor needed to do was roll it over to the bed. Easier said than done. The stupid thing just wouldn't move.

"Uh, Connor, you might want to unlock the brakes first." There was a smile in Robin's voice even if Connor couldn't see it.

"Oh." Moving the chair was easier after that.

"Next you have to lift me up and put me in the chair. Please me careful, my ribs really hurt right now."

This was the part that scared Connor. It would be so easy to hurt Robin, with his strength and clumsy hands. Robin was small to begin with, and now he seemed even more tiny and vulnerable. How easy would it be to accidentally hurt him, without even trying. Rob was putting all this trust in Superboy, and Connor wasn't even sure if he deserved it.

Connor bent down over the young teenager and carefully slid his hands under Robin's neck and knees. He didn't know how else to hold him, but he had this awful feeling that it couldn't be good support for his chest. With dread creeping into his throat, he lifted Robin to his chest and slowly turned to the bike.

He could hear and feel Robin's increased heart rate and sharp intake of breath. He could feel the boy's muscles tense with the strain and then jerk a bit involuntarily.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," Connor quickly placed Rob in his chair and stepped back. He was worried that he had done even more damage to his already injured body and that Robin would start to cry out in pain. He needn't have worried; Robin started to laugh.

"I'm okay, Supey, you don't need to freak out. Wow, you sounded like Wally on sugar there."

The clone let out a sigh of relief, "Let's just go to the living room, okay?"

"Sure, Con."

Once the two boys were in the living room, an awkward silence descended on both of them. Their usual camaraderie had been disrupted; there was no book for Robin to read and no coffee for Superboy to drink. And Connor was even _grumpier_ without his daily dose of caffeine.

"Connor?

"Yes, Robin."

"Do you want me to teach you how to make coffee?"

"…"

"Connor?"

"Sure."

"Wheel me over to the kitchen, then, okay?"

And so Superboy wheeled him over. He didn't know what to say to all this. He was still awfully guilty about hurting Robin when he had lifted him into his wheelchair, and he didn't know what to do now that Robin was ignoring that fact. And he didn't know what to say about the fact that Robin had made them coffee every single morning, and was now teaching Connor how to make it when he was _blind_. Should he say thank you or sorry or should he stay silent like he usually did? Connor picked the last one. It seemed the safest.

Robin just started to speak, a very confident, smooth voice. Even if it was very soft, and that was only because of the damaged vocal chords. How did he do it? Speak with such surety. Didn't he ever doubt his words or worry that they might hurt someone? Connor didn't think so. One didn't speak like that if he ever had doubts.

"Okay what you do is you take the carafe and open up the top. In the cupboard above the coffee machine are circular pieces of paper called coffee filters, they look like huge muffin liners, and you place that in the top of the coffee machine. You then add about eight tablespoons of coffee," Connor made a noise of surprise at the large amount, and then Robin smirked and continued.

"I know that's a lot, but you guys _do_ drink a lot of coffee. You have to then add about three cups of hot water into the machine. Close the machine and press the power button, and then coffee will magically appear for you to drink in about ten minutes."

It seemed like such a simple process for such an amazing drink, but Connor dubiously followed the steps. It wasn't that the clone didn't trust Robin; it was just that he had expected it all to be more complicated. And he thought he would probably mess it up.

But true to Robin's word, ten minutes later, the carafe was filling up with coffee, and it smelled so good. It was different than when you walked into the kitchen, and the space had already filled with the smell. That smell, Connor discovered, had always been diluted. This smell was so strong, and it smelled of vanilla and caffeine and mornings.

Connor quickly filled his favourite mug, a black ceramic mug that was uniform in shape, to the brim with coffee. He had never liked milk in his coffee, it diluted the taste, but he did like sugar. Two sugar cubes and a deep gulp later, and Connor was in a considerably better mood.

They stayed this way for a while, Connor taking drinks from the dark cup and Robin resting his head on the back of the wheelchair. It was peaceful and slightly reminiscent of their old morning routine, where the two would say nothing and be completely at peace.

"Supey?"

"Yes, Robin."

"…I want waffles."

**Wow, that chapter took a while to write. It was difficult to get Connor's personality since he says so little in the show, and I wanted to get the chemistry between the two very good. I haven't done any research for any villains yet, actually, most of my research went into how to make coffee. You can see where my priorities are. See you all next week! Stay whelmed!**


	7. Secret Plans

**Hey! By the way, Wally doesn't know Robin's secret identity in this story, just because it makes my story more awesome. And yes, it can grow more awesome. I know it's hard to believe and all, but get used to having your mind blown. :)**

**Thanks to Grayson's Gal, Bloodliar, Helloimlxs, and estheralex16 for following and favouriting!**

**Grayson's Gal: Yeah, I could totally see that happening! That's a great idea! LOL!**

**Yuu101cutie: Oops, I forgot about Wally and coffee. Heh heh heh! Let's just say that coffee's what helps him make it to breakfast, cause he went the whole night without eating, and that it's decaf. Yeah, that's what happens. And Robin and coffee, not happening. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. If I did, I wouldn't have taken so long to reveal Robin's secret id (and they didn't even reveal his id to the Team, just to the viewing audience). And I would have done it differently too. I would have had a whole bonding day, where the Team played truth or dare or something, and secrets were revealed and people would get angry and there would be tears and they would make up. And all would be good with the Team. Yay!**

Chapter 7: Secret Plans

Happy Harbour 4: 27 pm

An awkward silence of sorts had been settled over the cave the entire day. The Team avoided any subjects to do with Robin's injuries, but everyone could tell that they wanted to ask about them.

Robin could sense their discomfort, but said nothing. What could he say? There was nothing that would change the fact that he was injured. And he didn't want to 'talk about it', as he knew Black Canary wanted. He just wanted to be treated normally again by the Team. But he knew that that was wishful thinking. The Team had never really dealt with anything of this severity, and they didn't know how to react. The result was awkwardly cheerful conversation in front of Robin, and hushed whispers behind his back. Robin gritted his teeth, he hated this, and he just wanted to go home.

The only person not freaking out about all this was Superboy. While the rest of the Team stood in the kitchen talking amongst themselves, Connor sat on the couch watching static while Robin sat beside him in his wheelchair. It wasn't the same kind of silence that occurred with the rest of the Team. This was a comfortable sort of silence, with both boys aware of the other, but content to remain silence and just enjoy the other's company.

Wally didn't know how Connor had done it. He had been dreading the morning, dreading of having to go into Robin's room and lift his broken body into a wheelchair. Wally didn't know how he would be able to handle it, and he knew he would have to be the one to do it. He was the one that Robin trusted the most. (Even though the trust was undeserved, in KF's opinion.) But when he had exited his room, he had found Robin's door broken down and Connor and Robin sitting at the breakfast table eating microwave waffles. They had been talking quietly, mostly Robin, and there was a slight smile on the boy wonder's face.

Also, granted, Wally's reaction probably hadn't done himself much good either.

"What's this?" he had screeched, and he had seen both boys turn towards him, and Robin's smile had disappeared.

"Eating waffles," was Connor's only acknowledgement. He then went back to eating, and studiously ignored Wally. Robin hadn't said anything.

Kid Flash hadn't had any good retort to that. That _was_ what they were doing. But it still stung. Wally had had this image of him wheeling Robin down the halls, and his friend breaking down and telling him everything that had happened. And then BC would step into the scene to pick up the pieces, and KF would go beat up the bad guys, and things would go back to normal.

Only that wasn't what had happened. Wally had turned to go, but not before he saw Connor try to steal some waffles from Robin (his were all gone), and Robin swat his hand away with his fork saying with a laugh, "Hey! Leggo my eggos!"

Wally was the best friend. Wally was the one who know Robin best. Wally should be the one comforting Robin. Right?

_Best friends don't turn off the TV when your best friend's on it. Especially when he's fighting crime and there's the chance he could be injured. Stupid!_ His internal voice yelled at him.

_Shut up! Just shut up! How was I to know? I couldn't have predicted this! This isn't my fault!_ Wally had screamed back.

_Oh, you know that's not true. You know Gotham, you know the villains, and you know the injuries the dynamic duo has gotten. Of course you could have predicted it, and you should have. It's your __entire__ fault. _His inner voice made so much sense, but it hurt so much. _What would the Team think? Or Batman? They'd be horrified for you! That you caused all of this, that you turned off the TV; you couldn't have run over there and saved Robin! But you didn't. So it's all your fault!_

And Wally walked away from his two friends to sit on the couch alone until the rest of the Team had woken up.

Now Wally talked with the rest of the Team anxiously in the kitchen. It was all they could do not to confront the small bird. They couldn't resist talking about amongst themselves. Besides, only Supey could hear them. And he wouldn't tattle on Robin.

"What are we going to do?" M'gann whisper-shouted. Her telepathic abilities were going haywire. She desperately wanted to read Robin's mind and find out what had happened, but she knew it was an enormous breach of privacy. She could feel his emotions being held back, and they were so close, but she wasn't allowed. She really wanted to, but she couldn't, and she had to reign herself back so that her subconscious didn't take over.

It was exhausting, and the strain was taking its toll on her. She was near tears almost all the time and she had lost her telekinesis and flying because of her focus on that one aspect of her power. She was at the end of her rope.

"I do not know. Robin will not speak of the incident, and I dread to think of how he would react if we asked. Anyway, this uncomfortable state cannot last long. We are a team, and we must trust that Robin has his reasons for remaining silent. We must have faith that this will all sort itself out."

"How do we know that it _will_ sort itself out? Don't they always say that it's good to talk about things?" Artemis put in. She was all for just coming out and straight asking Rob about this. Come on, she lived in Gotham, she could handle the truth.

"But what about BC, and also Red Tornado? Can't they do something about all this? They're our supervisors, aren't they? And Black Canary's a shrink. She can set everything to right, right?" Wally was frantic, and not just with worry about Robin. He couldn't let the Team see how upset he was with himself. He couldn't let them know the truth.

"I don't know, Wally. What if Robin won't talk." M'gann whispered fearfully.

"He talks to Connor, I'm sure he can talk to Black Canary," was Wally's retort.

"I-" M'gann was interrupted by the zeta beams kicking to life.

Recognized Guest. Dr. Leslie. A01.

The Team rushed to the training room and saw a tall lady whose blond hair was pulled back in a sloppy bun. Her eyes were a warm brown and they swept over the group of teenagers in an accessing manner. She wore black track pants and a loose top under a white lab coat. In her hand was a bag that no doubt held medical supplies.

"Uuuuhhhhhh…" Wally wanted to ask who the heck she was, and what she was doing in Mount Justice (it was a secret compound, for Pete's sake!), but at the moment he was just in shock at the sight of someone he recognized. He had seen her before, but where?

"Hey, Baywatch, stop being perverted!" Artemis smacked the back of his head.

"I was not!" He hissed, and his face turned beet-red.

"Dr. Leslie, is that you?" All eyes turned to Robin as Superboy wheeled him in. His head was moving back and forth; he was obviously trying to compensate for his loss of sight.

"Yes, Robin, it is." Dr. Leslie's voice was crisp and precise, but it held warmth within. "Shall we take a look at your injuries, then?"

"Sure." Robin shrugged, but then winced.

Dr. Leslie walked forward quickly and took the chair from Connor. Wally watched this with wide eyes. But Wally was not watching Leslie (as most of the Team thought and was); he was watching Robin. He saw how Robin's walls slowly dropped away, and the smile disappeared to show what he was truly feeling.

His mouth twisted downward sharply and his shoulders seemed to slump inwards on themselves. Pain raced over his face, and you could see how hard he was trying to hold even more emotions in.

Wally didn't know why that mask had to be in place in the first place, both figurative and literally. It just built a rift between the Team and their youngest member. Robin really should open up more; he should talk. And it wasn't just because Batman had forbidden him. It was also Robin's choice. He chose not to tell them things; he chose not leave clues for them to guess at. Robin had trust issues.

Maybe Wally could change that. Maybe he could help Robin. And that good deed might just maybe make up for the fact that he had turned off that television, that he had just ignored that situation.

Now, where was Black Canary?

**********breakline**********breakline**********

Dr. Leslie slowly unwrapped the bandages around the boy wonder's chest. They were slightly infected; the skin around the wounds was puffy and pink and swollen and the cuts themselves were an angry red around the black stitches. It hurt just to look at them, those lines that the Joker had carved into the little bird.

"Are they getting better?" Robin whispered. His mask-less eyes were wide as he tried to look down.

"They are getting infected, so I have to clean them again." Dr. Leslie still hadn't looked up. The boy was just so young, and the things that he had seen, well, you could see it all in his eyes. They were aged more than the rest of him. They held so much mischief and joy in them, but they also held hurts and pain and grief that no child should have to endure.

She dabbed rubbing alcohol onto a damp cloth. As she turned around and faced Robin at last, she saw how he braced himself for the pain that would follow. She hated using rubbing alcohol, and she much preferred other ways of disinfectants, but it needed to be strong to wipe out the bacteria. Robin couldn't afford to get sick from this. With his strength diminished, a major infection could easily kill him.

"This will sting a little," she warned, and he nodded quickly.

She started to wipe gently at the oozing wound. This was going to take a while.

**********Breakline**********Breakline**********

"So you want me to do what exactly?" Black Canary looked down at the vibrating speedster.

"Have a group therapy session; it'll be good for Rob. No one can get the injuries that he has and not be haunted by stuff." Wally looked at their den mother with pleading eyes.

"You sure that this is all for Robin? Are there any ulterior motives going on here that I should know about?" Dinah looked at the speedster critically.

"Nope!" He popped the 'p'.

Dinah couldn't sense any lie in him, and if she was to be truthful to herself, she was worried about the small bird herself. It was just that she didn't trust eager speedsters. They usually meant trouble. But she couldn't exactly flat out refuse; she had to at least try something. "Fine," she sighed. She was going to regret this later.

"Thanks BC!" And with that the teen raced off.

**********breakline**********breakline**********

After Robin returned from the infirmary he was directed to a room. He had no idea where it was or what was in it, he had given up a long time ago at trying to keep a map of the cave in his head. It was just too hard when you couldn't tell when you were turning.

He heard the murmur of voices though. Black Canary was there and the Team, he thought. But why would they all be together right now, and why would Canary be with them?

"Hey Rob!" KF's voice sounded from right beside him. Robin nearly jumped out of his skin with shock. When had Wally come that close to him, and why was he so happy? Weren't they not on speaking terms? Hadn't Wally gotten upset at him, so why was he acting why it had never happened?

"Robin," Black Canary spoke in that overly gentle and analyzing voice that Robin knew and hated. No, Wally hadn't gone and done _that_, had he? "Come join us and talk for a while."

**Yay! Another Chappie done! I will be posting again next week, so look for it! Please REVIEW and VOTE ON MY POLL! Pleeeaaaassssseee! I really want to know what you think and I really really really want to know which villains you think I should use!**


	8. Therapy

**I know that in the show, Wally isn't abused by his parents, but in this story I'm making it happen because it works for my story plot. See, told you that things would get awesome-er.**

**I'd like to thank narutoXhinata321, ruthrod96, FishesEatTrees, CarlisleLover1234, WeRWhoWeR456, The Knight Shadow Ash, Night Hawks, and Electra StCloud for favouriting and following!**

**Roy23: yeah, Wally is totally going to get his butt kicked, and he has Batman to consider. He is so screwed.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. If I did, I would not have just skipped over Jason Todd completely and only shown a picture of him for like, thirty seconds. He is so awesome and ninja and such a smart aleck, I think the show could have been awesome for him, but they had to do the stupid time skip, and they had to turn directly to Tim Drake, who I don't like so much.**

Chapter 8: Therapy

Robin hadn't thought that Wally would do something like this, that he would go this far to get details of Robin's personal life. Scratch that, this was KF we were talking about, of course he would have dared. Robin frowned, Wally was lucky that he was in a wheelchair in the moment, or he would be kicking his butt to kingdom come right now.

"What are we all doing here?" Robin tried to keep his frustration out of his voice, but it didn't really work. At least he kept his slight anxiety out.

"We're having a group therapy session, Robin," M'gann's cheerful voice rang out. She sounded so hopeful, like Robin would just automatically spill all his darkest secrets as soon as he got the chance. That wasn't happening. Nope, he wasn't talking.

"I got _that_," Robin snapped back at her. That hadn't been what he had meant when he asked the question. He had meant 'why are we having a therapy session, and if we are, why is the Team listening in on it'? But he couldn't expect M'gann to get all that from his simple question. He should have phrased it better. He had to keep reminding himself of how not everyone knew bat-speak.

"Why don't you come join us then, and we can start," BC's voice again. Argh! Did he have to? Curse this wheelchair and his blindness! Curse Bats for not letting him curse aloud!

And Dr. Leslie had to wheel his chair over to the group. He knew they were all close; he could hear their heavy, excited breathing. All anticipating the secrets that he would 'spill', were they? Well, he wasn't talking.

"Now, let's start out this session by talking about any issues that we want to get off of out chest. Feel free to speak up and get the ball rolling." An awkward silence descended on us and Robin desperately wanted to smirk at the irony. They wanted him to open up and talk to them about stuff, but they weren't willing to talk themselves. This kind of thing went both ways; he couldn't trust them with his secrets when he knew that they didn't trust him with theirs.

Black Canary coughed, "Well, I guess we'll just have to go around the circle… Kaldur, how about you start us off."

His usually calm demeanor must have banished. He started to splutter and stutter. "Well, I, uh, do not really have any secrets or problems to share with the group at this time." At least he gained his composure eventually.

"You aren't experiencing any problems at home in Atlantis? Any family problems?"

"…No, I am not."

Robin knew that Kaldur was lying. He had seen Kaldur gazing with great sadness at a picture of him and two other Atlantians from time to time. One had been a dark-haired, lanky boy and the other a red-head girl. They all had their arms around each other and they bore the smiles and the bond of an easy friendship. But Kaldur's face hadn't shown that easy smile then. He had looked at that picture with a mixture of sadness and grief and resentment. He definitely had some problems that he wasn't telling us.

"Well…then. How about we move on to you, Artemis. Is there anything you would like to tell us, to get out in the open?"

"No."

Robin almost cracked up right then and there. It was just so funny how Artemis said that word, so adamant and strong, and it conveyed perfectly how she actually was keeping something back.

And Robin knew what that secret was. Her heritage, her parents, her dark past. It was understandable why she would want to keep it from the group. She probably thought that she would lose all the trust that she had acquired, and that they would think that she was the mole. Especially Wally.

It would work out better for her if she just talked about it and got it off her chest. If she herself chose the moment when the Team would find out, and not one of the villains trying to put doubt and distrust in the group, things would go better. Sure, the Team might get upset at her, but at least they would get over it. If the secret was revealed by someone else, the scenario would probably go in a different direction.

"Well, okay then," Black Canary's tone was just asterous, her face must be hilarious. Robin wondered if she was realizing yet that this was a pretty bad idea. "How about you, Wally?"

Robin tensed, this was getting personal. He knew about Wally's home situation, and he knew that he was sworn to secrecy on that matter (Wally had made him pinky-swear when he had found out when he was ten years old), but he couldn't help but want to just spit out the words that he had kept hidden so that Wally could get some help. But if he did, then Wally would never forgive him, and their relationship was already strained as it was.

"There's no problem," Wally voice sounded really tense and fragile. If he didn't do something soon, BC would start to suspect. Robin, as Wally's friend, hoped that she would notice. "Everything's just peachy keen, beautiful."

Of course he would hide it behind flirting. Only Wally could pull that off.

**********breakline**********breakline**********

Wally looked around at the others; had they seen his slip-up? Thankfully they hadn't; they were too worried about their own turn for talking. But his question had really hit home, literally. Maybe this therapy session wasn't such a good idea after all. Maybe Robin's secrets were best kept hidden; at least until he could come up with a better plan to expose them. One with no risk to him and his family life.

**********breakline**********breakline**********

"Let's…continue, shall we?" BC was starting to sweat a bit. Robin found it hilarious at how she was reacting; she was the therapist and they were her 'patients'. We should be talking to her, and here she is doing most of the talking. No wonder she was worried. "Connor?"

Silence.

"Connor, is there anything you would like to talk to the Team about? I know you have been struggling to adjust to life, and we can help you."

"I- just don't think you can help me with the problems I'm having." Connor's voice was gruff, but it did hold some emotion. Could this therapy session actually work, sort of? Could it help Connor?

"What sort of problems are you talking about?" BC was probably jumping on this opportunity, no one else had talked before, and now here someone was.

"Well, uh, being Superman's clone." Oh, yeah, that problem, you know, not biggie and all. Just identity and abandonment and 'how-do-I-control-my-powers' issues. Not to mention anger management. Just issues in general actually. BC had her work cut out for her, but all in all, she _had_ asked for it.

"What about being Superman's clone upsets you, Connor?" BC was going for the 'admit it yourself; don't jump to conclusions' path. Robin thought that was a little unnecessary though; being a clone would just upset you period. You would have no sense of identity, and no way of knowing what your role in life was.

"Uh, Superman ignoring me, and leaving me stuck with having no idea how to control anything." Connor's voice was softer now, and Robin really wished he could see his face and be able to give him a hug. Anything to comfort the big guy. He deserved it.

"Connor, that is an ongoing problem that we all feel strongly about, and I'm sure that I speak for all of us when I say that we will help you understand your powers in anyway that we possibly can." BC spoke softly as well.

_Yeah, even if it means blackmailing Superman into talking to Connor_, Robin thought grimly. He would do it; Batman had long ago given him Kryptonite. And he would use it if he had to. Superman deserves what's coming to him; he's such a huge, gigantic idiot.

Everyone mumbles their agreement, and Robin nodded firmly. He supported Connor, everyone did, and it was high time that the clone knew it.

There was a comfortable silence afterward; it was nice to know that this session was useful for something. But they had to carry on, much to Robin's displeasure. He knew that the therapy had been set up especially for him, to find out what had happened and who had caused the injuries to him. But couldn't they just leave it there? Couldn't they end it on a good note, not the bad one that it would certainly end on if this carried on? Was that too much to ask?

Evidently, it was, for Black Canary broke the silence first saying that we should move on. "Megan, how about you? Is there anything that you wish to discuss with us?" Robin's ears pricked forward. He didn't know anything about their resident Martian, but that didn't mean anything. The Team didn't know anything about him.

"No, everything's all right with me… Wait, I have a question." Her voice was the same happy tone that they always knew, but underneath was a slight quiver. What was she hiding?

"What is it, Megan?"

"What are STDs? The teacher was talking about them in health class," And the happy tone never faded once.

Well, after _that_ question there was utter and completer silence. And it wasn't the comfortable silence from before, no, it was awkward and uncomfortable. Heavy on the 'un'.

"W-well, Megan, they are diseases that you, uh, catch, if you are close to someone of the opposite gender, yeah," BC was sounding like a teenager. It was so hilarious. Robin so wished he could see everyone's faces right now. They would be _priceless_.

"Oh," was the only answer that was given.

Yeah, well, that was awkward.

"Let's move on, shall we?" BC's voice was slightly strained. Robin couldn't blame her. It was not a normal question to be asked, and it was just plain uncomfortable.

"Yes, let's" KF was really eager.

"Okay, so, Robin, shall we talk?" He felt all eyes turn towards him, and he squirmed under their gazes.

Shoot. He had been dreading this part. He couldn't exactly lie like the rest of the Team; they had seen his injuries, there was no hiding things. But he couldn't talk either. Batman wouldn't want him too. It was too dangerous to tell them everything now, not with everything that was happening in Gotham.

"I'd…prefer not to," Robin spoke very softly.

"It would do you good to talk about what happened," Kaldur spoke up.

"I don't think it would."

"C'mon, dude! Look what happened to you! Don't say there's nothing wrong! We're here to help; we're your friends. Talk to us, man!" Wally's voice was louder than the rest, and he seemed almost hysterical. What was up with him?

"Yes, Robin, talk to us." BC spoke up again.

"I don't think that would be wise," everyone went silent, and Robin could just imagine them looking towards the door where Batman's voice came from. He grinned. They were so screwed.


	9. The Ultimate Punishment

**Here's the next chapter! Whoop whoop! Yeah! Hope you enjoy.**

**I'd like to thank Aranel43, Lovely-blue-lady, Awesome Random Person, NorseGirl23, passion4christ, Unknown-Sociopath, and amy3225 for favouriting and following. Thank you all so much!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. I wish I could at least steal Robin for myself, but then the police and then Batman would be after me for kidnapping a minor, and I have a lot of my life to live still. I do not want to die young. Or get beat up by an angry DaddyBats! So, yeah, I guess there goes that plan.**

Chapter 9:

Happy Harbour 8:00 pm

The whole Team and Batman and Black Canary were standing in the kitchen. Plates of chicken stew lay steaming on the table, but no one was eating. They were just trying to avoid the chilling glare that Batman was sending them all. It was never-ending, just bottomless voids of narrowed eye-slits on a cowl. It shouldn't be as frightening as it was. But they were all terrified to wits end, and Wally had probably peed himself a hundred times over.

"O-okay, let's just get this over with," Wally muttered, and the Team turned to look at him with puzzled expressions. "Batman-we-are-super-sorry-please-don't-kill-us-we -beg-for-your-mercy-we're-too-young-to-die-please- please-please-please-plea-"

"Enough," at that the speedster stilled, and he looked at Batman with wide eyes.

"You're not killing us?"

"He has a rule against killing, KF." Robin spoke from his wheelchair beside Batman. It should have sounded like a light ribbing, but it came out strained and full of anger.

"You need to learn to not pry into things best left alone." Black Canary put in.

"You're the one who led the session!" Robin snapped at her.

"Wally told me it was to help you after…what had happened to you," She finished lamely.

"You mean he just wanted answers," he swung his head in Wally's general direction. "Well, you're not getting any."

"Robin, it's not good keeping things bottled up inside." BC was pushing it. It wasn't fair. What if Robin didn't want to talk about it? What if he didn't want to do show and tell and cry and make everything better? Because it wouldn't be better. Not now. It was too soon. He would talk when he was ready, when he was healed more. He definitely wouldn't talk when he had no way of knowing people's reactions or when he couldn't run away if it got too bad.

"Robin, we are just trying to help you," Kaldur did his piece. "We do not want to push you for answers, but keeping so many emotions bottled up inside of you is not healthy." Sure, use the voice of reason; make him feel like a horrible friend, like a horrible teammate. He had his reasons, don't make him tell them.

"That. Is. Enough!" Batman's voice boomed through all the noise and created silence. It was comforting, that silence. You could get a better sense of your surroundings with the silence. Noise just created a fog of nothing, of just utter chaos. And chaos was not good.

Robin leaned his head against Batman's leg in thanks.

"I need to go. You will not try this again. I will check in again in the morning." The leg moved away from Robin, and his head bobbed as he lost his rest. A gloved hand rested on his hair for a single moment, and Robin relished that tiny bit of affection. And then Batman was gone. Back to Gotham to fight crime.

Robin knew that Batman had to go. It was mandatory. It was either that or leave Gotham unprotected. Which would be _bad_. So it was the logical choice…for Batman to zeta back to Gotham.

But couldn't he stay for just a little while longer? It was so hard staying at the cave, with the Team watching him like a hawk and prying into things that shouldn't be pried into. And it was so hard with his injuries too. He felt completely helpless. He couldn't do anything himself, and he just wished he could see what was going on. Was that too much to ask?

"Hey Rob, you okay?" Wally's voice was suddenly in front of him and it was loud and it was startling. He started backwards and hissed at the pain the sudden movement caused.

"Not anymore," he muttered. Couldn't they just leave him alone?

"Well, uh, sorry about that," Wally chuckled nervously, and his hot breath hit Rob's face in a damp puff. Robin scowled, really? "But Black Canary wants to know if that doctor lady gave you your, uh, bath?"

She hadn't, Robin realized. Shoot, now he was going to be filthy as well as miserable. "She didn't," he said softly. Now, how could he discreetly ask to be taken to his room where he could have some peace and quiet? Politely, of course.

"Oh, well sucks dude," and he heard Wally walk off. Good, there was silence. He was just to tired of all this, hey, he was tired period.

**********breakline**********breakline**********br eakine**********

Wally felt horrible, he really did. None of the Team knew why he felt horrible, but he wasn't really keeping things hidden. They knew he was miserable. He just wasn't telling them why. And he was trying to fix things. But every single thing he tried seemed to end in failure. He ended up losing his temper. He angered the Bats. He annoyed Robin. He made Robin in more miserable of a mood.

See, failure.

So, he gave himself the job as messenger for now. At least he could be useful. A useful failure. Did that even make any sense?

"He says that no, she didn't give him a bath." He told BC.

"Hmm, and she left during the therapy session," Black Canary put her finger against her chin in thought. "I know. You and the other boys can give him his bath. Dr. Leslie left us instructions in case she couldn't be here."

"What! Wh-why can't you do it?" Wally turned red and stuttered. You've got to be kidding me! Something else for him to mess up.

"Why's there anything wrong? Your all guys, and I don't think he'd be comfortable if any of us girls gave him his bath. It would be awkward."

"But the doctor's a girl!"

"Yes, but she's a doctor, it's different. She's patched him up countless times. I don't think he thinks very much about that situation. If the girls or I tried, it would be uncomfortable for him."

"But-"

"No buts, Wally. Give him a bath." And with that she walked away, conversation over.

Wally hazarded a glance to the boy wonder. He had leaned his head back on the headrest, and he wasn't moving. He could be sleeping, he could be thinking, he could be eavesdropping for all that he knew. Why him, why him? A bath? Could things get any worse?

**********breakline**********breakline**********br eakline**********

Kaldur sighed inwardly. How had he thought that this would be easy? It was anything but. When Wally told Kaldur that they would giving their youngest a bath, the immediate thoughts were that this would be a good time for long talks and feelings resolved. But he should have realized that it wouldn't go that way. This was Wally that they were talking about. And Robin was always a secretive person. They wouldn't admit anything. They were both too stubborn.

Wally at least should have had the initiative to _try_ and fix _something_. He didn't even have to say anything to Robin. Just being there for him would have restored some of the bond. They were best friends, basically brothers. It wouldn't take that much to set things right. But of course he didn't do anything. He wouldn't even help with anything. He just stood awkwardly off to the side.

"Wally, could you come over and help us with this," Kaldur hated calling it out, but it needed to be done. They needed his help.

He gave an enormous sigh and dragged himself over. He was the best at removing bandages, and they needed to clean Robin's wounds. Kaldur only hoped that Wally wouldn't freak out when he saw them. They had no idea how bad they looked, and Wally might not like what he saw.

"Guys, I don't think you need to clean them. Leslie did a stellar job; they should last until she comes again. I don't need a bath. It's all good. Guys? Guys!" Robin's voice sped up. He was nervous. What was he trying to hide?

"You need a bath, Robin. You do not want your wounds to become infected, do you?" Why was he so nervous about all of this? Kaldur didn't get it. They were all guys; there was nothing to be ashamed of. Besides, his doctor must have been giving him his baths. And she was a woman. Kaldur thought that should have been more awkward than this.

Wally was unclipping the bandages. They were sweaty and were clinging to his skin. This had better not be too painful for their small bird. Wally cringed. Yeah, sure, you abandon your best friend and then you rip bandages off painfully. Way to go, Wallman. Stellar friendship you go there.

The bandages came off, and then he saw what Robin was trying to hide this whole time.

"Oh, Robin," he breathed.


	10. The Hidden Truth

**Sorry for the late update guys. I've been really busy with exams coming up. I have a really heavy semester in high school (chemistry, physics, and math: all university), so this might happen again for next week. But I really am trying hard to work around studying. Please enjoy!**

**I'd like to thank anime4ewa, sherlockianlife, PercyPizzaz01, RJG Lover, Bayllarina, Robin The Girl Wonder, and RiverFawn for favouriting and following.**

**Lindz4567: yes, it was. But it isn't the thing that you'd normally think of. There's a twist. Dun dun dun!**

**xMidnightAurorax: yes, there will be lots of le gasps here. And yelling. And awkward entrances. So prepare yourselves. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. If I did, I would have added Scarecrow to the Injustice League. And all of the Team would have gotten hit with it and would have been battling their fears as well as all those villains. It would have been EPIC!**

Chapter 10: The Hidden Truth

"Oh, Robin," Wally breathed.

He couldn't help but stare. How could one not? Red, puffy letters were carved into the boy wonder's chest, stomach, arms, legs, back…everywhere. They were courtesy of Joker; only one as crazy as him would put them there.

The young bird squirmed under the three boys' gazes. Although he couldn't see, he knew that they were staring. And that their stares would be filled with pity. He didn't want them to see him like this. It was bad enough that he was the youngest and human; this would only make things worse. He would be babied, and Robin hated being babied. He was the first sidekick. He hated being treated inferior.

"Robin, why did you not tell us of this?" Kaldur spoke calmly. He didn't want the ebony to know how panicked he was feeling. That would only make the boy more uncomfortable.

And Kaldur got it. He understood wanting to look strong, to banish all weakness. Didn't he always feel that way with Aquaman, with him being his king? The need to impress him and honour him was always there. He was a subject, not a son or a son-like figure. He was a soldier, and he could never give in to weakness. He had his king to protect. He understood Robin, but this was going too far.

This was bordering on extreme paranoia. Did Robin distrust the Team so much that he would not open up in the slightest bit? Did he truly think that the Team would think less of him because of his injuries?

"Nothing to tell, really?" Robin chuckled, trying to lighten the awkward silence that pervaded the group. It didn't work. His chuckles sounded weak to even his own ears, and he was a master at hiding his feelings. But how could he get out of this one? There was no way to hide anything from the group; he was naked for goodness sakes.

"There's not nothing to tell." Connor finally spoke up. It was a simple answer, and there was not really any way for Robin to argue against it. "Those words are not nothing." And with that he drove the hit home.

For the longest while there was a silence where the three boys waited for a reply from Rob. Anything would a have done really. They just wanted something to explain the reason for these horrible markings. All of them waited with bated breath for a word, a whisper, for _something_.

Wally couldn't stand the waiting for much longer. How had he not noticed this? This had been going on longer than before the accident at that warehouse several weeks ago. Pale silver lines criss-crossed underneath the recent cuts across the ebony's pale skin, and it traced a horrible history all over the boy wonder.

There was no way that there were no emotional repercussions from all of this. This must have scarred the young boy's heart in some way. Did Batman know about all of these? And he still trained him despite them all? Was he really that heartless that he would let his own son (there was no way that they weren't; their bond was too strong to be anything else other than that) go through all that pain only to push him to the front lines yet again?

Wally reached out subconsciously, but didn't go through with the motion. How could he comfort his friend? How could he when he was completely unsure of where they all stood with each other now? When he couldn't even comfort himself. But he had to do something; he had to act now before he could start to think. And he would not think. His thoughts would stray to those red words carved into pale skin and then he would truly lose it.

That was it. It was all just too much. His stomach lurched against its boundaries and he ran to the garbage bin in a flash (pun intended). The contents from his snack earlier hurled outward with great force and he heaved and heaved and heaved. Just the thought of the pain Robin must have endured made him sway on his feet and nasty chunks of goop surge up his esophagus.

"Wally, are you throwing up?" Robin's voice sounded fragile from this far away.

"A bit," he retched for a bit before continuing, "but I'm fine, just freaked me out a little bit, dude. Totally okay over here, don't worry."

"Are they that disgusting?" Oh shoot. Now Rob was going and thinking this was his entire fault. Wally just didn't have a strong stomach with this sort of thing, wasn't his fault, not at all.

"Dude! Dude, no." He sped back over to the tub and placed his hand on the younger teen's shoulder. "It's fine. You aren't disgusting, it was just a shock, is all." What else could he add? He had been the one puking, for crying out loud, how could he just dismiss it.

"What Wally is trying to say, my friend, is that he wasn't expecting the injuries that he just saw. He was not expecting there to be…words carved into your skin. And I have to admit, neither was I." Kaldur added in, and the speedster silently thanked him. It was good that Kaldur was good with words when he was not, which was all of the time.

"Oh." Was all the ebony could say. They wanted an explanation, it was clear that this was where things were going. They were leading into it; Kaldur was clearly hinting that he wanted Robin to talk.

But how could he? It was one thing to see the injuries and the wounds (although Robin couldn't at the moment), but it was another to find out the gruesome details. For all that they were superheroes the Team didn't have that much experience with life or death situations, or any sort of extreme condition like he did. Robin wasn't quite sure if that was a good or a bad thing yet.

"Robin," Connor stared at the words, they were oozing blood still, "why haven't these healed yet?"

Wally froze. They hadn't healed at all? It was two and a half weeks ago, they should be at least closed up, if not more. Why were they still bleeding?

"Tell us what happened." Wally's voice went hard, with no feeling or compassion in it whatsoever. He was tired of Rob avoiding all the questions, and skirting around the truth. He wanted to know what was wrong and he wanted to know now.

"Wally, I can't," Robin sighed, why did they always have to push? Couldn't they accept the fact that it was too early, that the wounds were still too fresh (literally), and that he wasn't ready to talk. Not to mention that they wouldn't ever understand what he went through on a daily basis; he lived in _Gotham_, the most crime ridden city _ever_. This wasn't something that was new to him; he had been hurt before. They couldn't understand that talking wouldn't make things better, only time would.

"Why not? 'Cause Bats said not to? What about you, Rob? What about what you want? If you want to talk about something, if you need to, just ignore him and tell us. We're your friends, treat us like them!" Wally's voice reverberated off the tile walls.

Robin didn't say anything, but waiting with bated breath. The others had heard, he was sure of it. Even without super hearing, Wally's rising voice rang loud and clear. There was no chance that the girls had missed the outburst. And when they came, which they would, they would see the words and they would want to know what had happened. And then he would be trapped. He couldn't run away, and they would know what to ask about. And then everything would come out.

"Is everything okay in there, boys?" Black Canary said through the door. Her voice was filled in concern, and Robin knew that her hands were just itching to open the door to check on them.

"Robin, is everything all right?" M'gann's bright voice joined in.

"Baywatch, what did you do this time? Why were you yelling at Rob? He hasn't done anything wrong." Robin paused for a moment. Artemis would be the one to walk right in there, naked body or not.

"I didn't do anything. Robin's injuries, they're…" Wally sputtered off into nothing. _Please leave it at that_, Robin thought, _don't say anything else. Don't make them come in here. Don't let them see me; don't let them see the words._

But it was too late. KF had to open his mouth and speak. "Someone carved words all over him, BC." He called out.

"What?"

Robin knew he was screwed. They would definitely would not let this stand. Sure enough, he heard the door knob twist sharply and the bang of the door hitting the wall. He squirmed uncomfortably. Just because he was used to being treated by Dr. Leslie meant he was comfortable with girls staring at him. He was a teenager after all.

"Connor, uh, could you-?" he turned his head to where he thought the clone was.

There was no answer. Only a towel dropped over his hips.

**********breakline**********breakline**********br eakline**********

"I'm calling Batman. He has some answering to do." Black Canary paced the floors in the training room. After an unsuccessful try to get Robin to talk, they had eventually relented and put the exhausted boy to bed. Mostly because of the glares that Connor was sending the group.

Wally nodded in agreement. "He should have told us about all this. Why does he have to be secretive in the first place? Doesn't he trust us?"

"Evidently not," came Artemis's grumble.

The kids were missing the point. Dinah wasn't angry about the lack of information from Bruce. That was normal. She knew that he was a paranoid man with trust issues; he wouldn't tell the Team sensitive things, not when there was the possibility of a mole on the Team. There was something else that she was far more worried about.

"The thing that bothers me the most is the slow healing process." All eyes turned to their resident mother. Brows were furrowed in confusion. Only Kaldur showed some form of understanding.

"Those wounds should be closed up by now, if not starting to heal." BC though aloud. She was confused herself; she wasn't a medic, but she at least knew this much. "With the technologies that Batman has, the wounds should be mostly taken care of by now. But they still look fresh, even a bit infected. It doesn't make sense. There is more at stake here than simply secrets."

"Like what?" Connor stepped forward.

"Robin's health, for one. If the wounds become infected, it could be potentially deadly. In his weakened state, it would be easier for him to get sick, and infections sap your strength like nothing else."

M'gann's hands flew to her mouth, and Wally gulped and paled considerably. The whole Team seemed quite taken back at this peace of news. Death was something that all heroes had to face sooner or later; you could never save everyone. But the death of a teammate, a friend, was something completely different. It was scary and new and hard to think about.

"I'm not saying that that's going to happen, but we need to figure out what's going on soon to make sure that the possibility is completely forgotten. We need to figure out the problem soon." She paused and looked at the kid's frightened faces. "I'm going to go talk to Batman. Why don't you all bunk with Robin just for the night? I'm sure that will do all of you good."

And with that she left. She couldn't bear the frightened stares anymore. It was heart wrenching. Teenagers thought they were invincible, and these were no different. It was just so hard to see them find out how wrong they were.

From the corner of her eye, she saw the group look at each other and shuffle off to their friend's room. It was going to be a long night.

**Mwahahahaha! Can you guess what comes next? The first person to guess it gets a virtual cookie and a shout out! Please review!**


	11. Gaseous Billowing

**I'm baa-ack!**

**I'd like to thank Snowflake Girl and secret00 for favouriting and following.**

**Yuu101cutie: Wow, that is the longest review I've ever gotten, ever. I'm so glad you like this story, and don't worry, you'll find the answer to the scars soon enough. Hehehe. I'm glad that you like the emotional side as well, I really think there needed to be more emotional stuff in the show, not just all fighting.**

**secret00: No, it's not Red Arrow, but good guess. And thank you soooo much! That is the nicest compliment ever! I can't believe that you think that, you have no idea how happy that makes me feel. I love to write, and that's my ultimate dream! Thank you so much!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. If I did, there was be a lot more of dealing with their relationships with each other, and coming to terms with being superheroes and saving the world and possibly dying. And lots of Team bonding, they need way more of that. It's not all about fighting and beating the bad guys. I mean, think about it, what about all those emotional scars that they would have accumulated over all the years.**

Chapter 11: Gaseous Billowing

Happy Harbour 11:38 pm

Miss Martian lay awake listening to the others breath. It was soothing and calming to her, to hear chests rising and falling in unison and to see/sense minds empty of all thoughts, calm waters. She was so used to the busy hub of chatter from countless minds. Night time was one of the only times where she truly heard nothing, where her mind wasn't constantly accosted by a wall of noise.

Yes, she seemed happy most of the time, the light bubblehead, nothing in that brain of hers but dust and distant dreams of Mars. But it was just an act, an act to distract herself from all the voices spilling their hurts and dreams and decisions. She imagined that if anyone from the Team caught even a glimpse at what she saw on a daily basis, they would not be able to handle the extremes of it all.

But she wasn't the focus right now, Robin was. He kept it all bottled up inside, all his emotions, behind this impenetrable wall. He didn't let anyone in. It couldn't be healthy for him. M'gann just wished that he would trust them enough to talk to them. He didn't have to reveal any secrets, just talk about some of his problems, get some stuff off of his chest.

The Martian lay back down on her blankets and curled into her pillow. She sniffled slightly and drifted into an uneasy sleep, the sounds of Happy Harbour sounding in her mind.

**********breakline**********breakline**********br eakline*********

A scream split the air, waking the five teens. They all looked around in confusion before focusing on their young friend. Robin was twitching and thrashing weakly, like he was tied down and being hit repeatedly. Tears streamed out behind his bandaged eyes, which were tinted pink in a couple spots.

"Robin? Rob, dude, snap out of it!" Wally sped over to the bed, hovering over his friend. It was as if he was afraid to touch the bird, as if he was fragile and delicate, his hands hovering over the writhing body.

The only response he got was a strangled cry. A cry that was cut off almost immediately, only to turn into a soft whimper.

"Nonononononononononono," Robin whispered with a fearful stutter. He was full out sobbing now, and starting to hyperventilate.

"Robin, please wake up man," Wally was starting to cry. It was just so hard not to, with all the pain his friend was going through.

"I- I can go in and try to calm him down." M'gann offered.

Wally stared at her horrified. Was she insane? There was no way he was letting her into Rob's mind. It would just make things worse. They had messed up enough already, and Rob was upset enough because of it. If M'gann went into his mind, where he knew that she would find out that Rob wasn't as strong as he appeared to be, it would just explode from there.

If Bats was angry before, he hated to see what he would look like if this happened.

"No, you can't," he murmured, but he was ignored.

"Makes sense," Connor grunted.

"Yes, to help our friend, I believe this is the best decision," Kaldur sided with the two aliens.

Only Artemis looked skeptical. "Wally…"

"I know," he muttered. He was pretty sure that Artemis understood secrets, and the lengths people would take to avoid telling them. "This isn't right."

"Okay, it's decided then. I will go wake Robin up." Megan smiled and her eyes started to glow.

Wally could only watch as his friend stiffened in his arms.

**I know this is a shorter chapter, and I'm really sorry for that, but it was needed. This is setting up a really epic next chapter which will be really long and really awesome. I am also going on vacation shortly (with no internet access) and I thought that a shorter chapter is better than none at all. So, I will see you in a while with an awesome one.**

**Also, to make up for things, I am posting a one-shot as well, so please check that out. **


	12. Dark in my Imagination

**My vacation's over, and I'm back to fanfiction! I don't know how I lived without it for so long! :) So yep, here's an extra long chapter for you all. Enjoy, it's my longest yet! Also, some of this might be slightly confusing, so if you have any questions whatsoever about anything here, don't hesitate to ask me, and I will answer them to my best abilities.**

**I'd like to thank shannon. , animegal24, b00kw0rms, iLeenOnTheWall, FireofDestiny, ArkieR, and Karesor17 for favouriting and following.**

**ElectraStCloud: thank you so much! I will never stop! I have so many story ideas for fanfiction and books that I have to write them all down! I'm guessing 20 to 25 chapters at a minimum, but there may be more if it takes that long to write it all.**

**YuuCutie101: yes, it is the inevitable of Robin. Curse his back luck with dreams…but it is so much fun to write! And yeah, I'm glad that you think Artemis and Wally would do that too. They strike me as the type of people who would.**

**xMidnightAurorax: it will only be M'gann seeing the memories. There will certainly be drama about it all in the next chapter. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. If I did, I would be a millionaire right now.**

Chapter 12: Dark in my Imagination

M'gann dove head-first into Robin's mind. She did not expect any resistance, at sleep the mind opened up and shed its walls (it was a universal fact for humans). But Robin was surprisingly rebellious. He fought her.

His mind was like a slippery slope. You would climb halfway up, pause to take a breath, and just slide back down again. M'gann ground her teeth and clung to the edge. You had to find an entrance before you entered. And you couldn't lose your grip. It was always tougher to gain access the second time. The mind automatically shielded itself when it detected threats, sleep or no.

There were so many different layer of the mind, and they all had different appearances. The outside shell was a slick, black casing. Almost like oil. It molded around the mind in a circular sphere. There were no angles, not thin spots, no openings, just a thick goop.

M'gann thought she had gotten some purchase finally. Her nails dug into the casing and she could almost sense the mind underneath.

But then Robin reacted.

The shell convulsed and bucked, trying to throw her off of him. She could almost feel his body stiffening and fighting against her mental touch, every muscle in his body taut with all the strain. How was this even possible? The mind wasn't supposed to be this responsive, this able. He was asleep…wasn't he?

"Nonononono! Don't you dare!" M'gann cried out and dug her nails deeper still. She couldn't lose her hold on Robin; she had no idea what would happen if she did, and she wasn't about to find out. "I'm _not_ letting go, Rob! So don't you let go of me! You're letting me in whether you like it or not!"

M'gann focused her mind on one spot where she had dug her fingers in. There was a slight indent, a weak point, albeit a small one, but it was all she needed. She made her mind like a drill, a drill that would break through that outer layer and grant her access to Robin's mind.

Cracks spread in a spider web pattern, and with a great shattering sound the wall broke. It came crashing down around her, and she dodged the flying debris and walked forward. The mind was right there in front of her, an opaque glassy sphere that should have been white under normal circumstances. Right no it was a red shade with mottled patches of black and a sickly purple colour.

M'gann rested her palm on the smooth surface, and it molded around her touch. _This is it_, she realized, _this is where Robin was_. And it wasn't just that he wasn't waking up, and was trapped in there. This was where _Robin_ was. Where he hid all his secrets. M'gann felt a twinge of apprehension; maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

But then she felt a roil of straight fear. Black bloomed from underneath her fingertips, and a bone chilling cold spread through her bones up her arm. That made her mind up. No matter what she might see, she had to try to help Robin. She couldn't just stand back and watch him suffer, that wasn't who she was and that wasn't who she was about to become.

"I promise Robin, that anything that I see here will remain between us. And I'll only talk about it if you want to. I promise you that, Robin." She pressed her lips against the surface and whispered, hopefully he had heard her.

M'gann took a deep breath and braced herself. This was it, the moment where things really counted. She couldn't get scared here; she had to be strong for Robin. He fear would only add to his, and that would just make things worse.

M'gann pushed into the sphere, disappearing into a nightmare as Robin's wall rebuilt itself behind her.

**********breakline**********breakline**********br eakline**********

"What's she _doing_ in there?" Artemis had long since backed away from the thrashing boy wonder. His face, twisted with pain, mirrored Artemis's horror-filled one. She hated these sort of situations; she felt so helpless. She had no idea how to comfort someone, curse her father. All she knew was how to hurt, and that was definitely something she _didn't_ want to do. So maybe it was best if she just stood back for now. It would probably be better that way, wouldn't it?

"We must trust that M'gann knows what she is doing." Kaldur said slowly, keeping his gaze on the distraught blonde.

"_Trust_ her? She's hurting him!" Artemis turned her wide eyes to Kaldur, who frowned slightly. "Do we even know if Robin _wants_ this?"

"We don't," Wally spoke up from his spot on the bed. He had Robin held in his arms, trying to steady his friend. "And from what I know of him, he wouldn't have agreed to this in any sort of circumstances."

"Why did you agree then?" Connor crossed his arms over his chest.

"I didn't. You didn't give me a chance to do anything!"

"What do you-" Kaldur was cut short by a gasp, a gasp from Robin. All eyes turned to the ebony as his back arched extremely, fingers clawing the air feebly. And…he went limp. He collapsed back into KF's arms and lay there like a rag doll. His breath was strained, and he would still twitch and cry out occasionally, but he wasn't in danger of hurting himself anymore.

"Okay, what just happened here?" Artemis edged forward and rested her hand on Robin's knee. He didn't react and the archer let out a pent up breath.

"I- have no idea," the Atlantian admitted, "this is not my area of expertise."

"No duh, Sherlock!"

Kaldur ignored her and carried on. "The thing I am most curious about is what this all means?"

"Care to elaborate?" Wally snapped.

"What does this action signify? Does this mean that M'gann has gained access to Robin's mind, or is this just another sign that things have gone wrong?"

There was silence as everyone absorbed that information, and Kaldur gladly welcomed the brief peace that came with it. He was already regretting his decision to allow M'gann to enter Robin. He just hoped that not too much ill came from this.

**********breakline**********breakline**********br eakline**********

M'gann entered a long hallway. It was brightly lit, a very artificial light that blinded you if you stared at it even for a second, but that just made the shadows even darker. They blurred the edges of her vision and she had the oddest sense the she was being watched, but no matter how many times she looked around there was nobody there.

"Remember Megan, this is Robin. He's not one of the bad guys. He won't hurt you. And you can't even _be_ hurt in your mind, so why are you worrying?" M'gann ran a hand through her hair and chuckled nervously. There was no reason for her to be frightened…so why _was_ she?

_I guess it could be the endless hallway, the ones you see in those scary Earth movies_, she thought, _and the sheer emptiness of it all. This is supposed to be the moral part of the mind, right? So where's all the regrets, then?_

"Oh! Hello Megan!" the Martian hit her hand against her head. "I need to gain access." She paused for a moment when she realized what that meant. "A-and I can't do that lying. This is a place of truths." Her lip started to tremble and she grasped it feebly with her fingers in a weak attempt to stop it. "I have to leave behind my guilt, but-" she looked down at the ground, "do I really have to?"

M'gann looked around for an answer, but one never came. Then again, she wasn't really expecting one.

The teen didn't question on how Robin was still shielding himself from her, even when she was already _inside his mind_. It was one of those anomalies she would just have to accept. Besides, she didn't have the time to worry about such things, not right now. Later, maybe.

"Okay, Robin, here goes," taking a deep breath she let go, "I hope this is fine with you, what you see next." She paused to wipe some tears from her eye, "and please don't think any less of me because of it."

She let go of the changes she had caused to herself and allowed the defenses to fall away. Tears slid down her cheeks as the green hue that she had always envied faded and her luscious red hair shriveled up into her skull. Limbs elongated and turned stark white. Muscles bugled under thin skin, sinewy lines indented and molded around strong bones. She was a monster; there was no use hiding it.

Black eyes darted around the room, waiting for a change. M'gann didn't know what she expected, a door to appear maybe or an arrow pointing the way she should go. But…nothing.

"Hello there!" a small voice chirped from behind her.

With a screech she whirled around and found herself face to face with…a small boy. M'gann blinked in surprise, this was not something she had been expecting. The boy was small, he looked about six years old, and he was smiling sweetly. He had the same hair as Robin, but his eyes were uncovered. His eyes…they were the brightest blue M'gann had ever seen! They were the sky, the ocean…indescribable.

"Whoa!" she was snapped out of her thoughts by the exclamation. "What _are_ you?"

M'gann tried not to cringe at the accusation. _Stop it_, she tried to tell herself, _you knew this was coming. Don't be such a baby, it shouldn't hurt this much. You're used to it, so stop acting like it was the first time._

"I-I'm a White Martian." She tried a smile, but it was strained. _Don't cry_, she thought to herself, _whatever you do, don't cry_.

"Like Martian Manhunter? Cool!" The boy's face lit up and he hugged her around the legs.

"You think I'm cool?" The boy nodded vigorously, and M'gann frowned. "You're not scared of me?"

"Why would I be?"

"Well…look at me. How could you not be afraid of me?"

The boy took a good look at M'gann, and the Martian tried not to squirm under his penetrating gaze. "Well, Mamica always told me not to judge a book by its cover, and you're real nice. So why would I be scared of you?"

"Thank you," she whispered, and her heart soared inside her chest. She hugged the boy, she just couldn't resist (he was adorable, after all), and he in turn snuggled into her chest. A contented sigh escaped the teen, she wished she could stay in this moment forever, but she knew it had to end. She did have a mission after all.

"Hey sweetie, what's your name?"

"Richard John Grayson," the boy puffed out his chest, "but you can call me Dick."

"O-okay, I'm Megan."

"Hiya Megan," Dick took her hand and shook it wildly. "Nice to meet ya."

"Nice to meet you too, Dick." And M'gann smiled.

**********breakline**********breakline**********br eakline**********

Recognized. Green Arrow 0.

All heads turned towards the hallway, as if he would materialize in the doorway with a disapproving frown any second.

"We. Are. So screwed." Artemis growled.

"I hate to agree with blondie, but she's right," Wally sighed, but didn't move.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" Artemis jumped towards Wally, but was caught by Connor.

"Careful. Robin," was all he said.

"What about Robin?" Wide eyes turned towards the blonde archer who lounged in the doorway.

"Well…" Artemis started.

**********breakline**********breakline**********br eakline**********

"Soooo, whatcha doin' here?" Dick asked.

"I'm trying to find my friend. Robin." M'gann curled her three fingers around Dick's small hand. "Do you want to help me?"

"Yes," the boy was suddenly very serious, "I do."

"And do you mind if I change my form?"

Dick frowned. "Why? Don't you like how you look?"

"I prefer this. It's who I am, even though I look different."

"Well, if you want to. But I think you look real pretty no matter what."

Tears pricked M'gann's eyes. "Thank you Dick." And with that, Megan Morse was back.

"Your welcome!" He beamed up at her, "now let's go find your friend!"

A doorway appeared in the wall next to them, and M'gann stared at it in shock. Where had _that_ come from?" And why had it just appeared _now_? M'gann knew it hadn't been there before; she would have noticed it otherwise.

"You coming? Don't you wanna go find your friend?" Dick looked at her from his position by the door. His eyes were wide with innocence and curiosity.

"Sure, let's go," the once again green Martian took the boy's, her guide she had realized, hand and walked through the door into white.

Haunting carousel music filtered through the air, and the scent of hay and animal filtered into M'gann's nose. When her eyes adjusted to the light, the scene became apparent. Striped walls and trapezes and seats filled her sight, a circus. _Was this where Robin grew up_, M'gann wondered, _it would certainly explain his acrobatics_.

"This is nice, isn't it?" she looked down to her guide, who buried his shaking head in her front. "Dick?"

"Bad, very bad. Too empty, too quiet," he murmured, and shivered despite the heat.

M'gann looked around and saw that he was right. The tent was deserted. Empty popcorn bags rolled in the dirt ground, popcorn crushed underfoot. She could almost hear the echo of screams, but when she concentrated they disappeared.

"I- guess your right. Where is everybody?"

Blank eyes met her confused ones. "They are waiting for the show to start." And his voice was so empty, so hollow. "The show must go on. And on and on and on."

And the lights blared to life.

In mere seconds the whole tent straightened itself out. Spilled popcorn rolled back into their bags, which flew back into owners' hands. The stands were filled with an audience, who talked and laughed and pointed while all the while exclaiming ooh and aah at the marvelous feats performed in front of them.

"Richard, what's going on?" M'gann tried to stand up from the seat that she found she was sitting in. But no matter how she tried, she was stuck. A front row cage.

"We are waiting," came the simple answer. The redhead turned to look at the ebony and was scared at what she saw. There was a haunted look in the boy's eyes, a frantic fear of continuing, but the knowledge that they must all the same.

"Waiting for what?" Dare she ask, did she really want to know the answer.

"The last act," he looked up to the top of the tent, "it was always the last act."

As if on cue the lights dimmed, and a single spotlight lit up the gold thread on the ringmaster's costume. "Ladies and gentlemen! Our last act of the night!" The crowd cheered and stomped their feet. "We present to you…The Flying Graysons!"

The spotlight zoomed up to focus on six acrobats hanging off a podium a hundred feet plus in the air. You could tell they were all a close family, the way that they hung off of each other so comfortably and the glances they gave each other on the sly.

M'gann suddenly felt the boy take her hand. "Richard?" He didn't reply, and every thing around them blurred. Colours burst in front of her eyes and her stomach heaved. They were moving at such a speed through space and time that she felt her head might burst.

When they stopped, when reality reset itself, they were sitting on the podium opposite the Graysons. They could still hear the cheering crowds, but they looked distant, muted from this far a distance.

"Good luck everybody, and stay sharp." M'gann heard one of the acrobats say. He had dark, coal-black hair with a single streak of grey running down a side. His eyes held pure joy as he looked at his family.

"We will, John," a redheaded woman laid her head on his chest, and then bent down to her son. "I love you, my little Robin. Show them how you can fly."

"I love you too, Mamica!" He threw his arms around her neck and kissed her sloppily on the cheek. The entire family chuckled.

And with that they were off.

They flipped and spun off each other in a dance of epic proportions. They hung off the trapeze in groups of three; the only thing keeping them all from falling was one person's legs wrapped tightly around a metal bar. They flew from podium to podium, always seeming like they would crash to the ground at any moment, but always making it at the last possible second.

And the little boy shone. He was a bird, flitting from person to person, cart-wheeling through the air to clutch at someone's ankles, waving wildly at the excited crowd. When he performed the quadruple flip, it seemed for a moment that he had grown wings.

It seemed so perfect. It was a shame that it had to end.

The redheaded woman was hanging from her ankles, hands clutched tightly to her son's. They were smiling the biggest smiles ever, just enjoying the feeling of weightlessness as they soured high above the ground. It was the most beautiful thing M'gann had ever seen.

She heard it before she saw it. A small, quiet snap. Down in the stadium it would be lost in all the noise, but at this height it was crystal clear. Eyes flicked upward and a gasp escaped the Martian's lips as she saw the wires snap.

But she wasn't the only one who saw it ahead of time. The redheaded woman's eyes widened with horror at the sight, and then quickly glanced down at her son clutching his hands in hers. With a cry she flung him at the empty podium with all her might.

And the Graysons fell.

They hit the ground with a sickening crunch, and blood framed their broken bodies. Screams rose from the audience, but none so horrible as the one that came from the child's mouth. He lay crumpled on the opposite podium, arms outstretched, and eyes blinded by tears. It looked as if his very soul was being ripped from his chest to flutter down to his Mamica's body. His eyes were glued to his fallen family, and M'gann knew he would never ever forget the sight.

Everything dissolved into white, with his horrified face imprinted into the Martian's mind.

**********breakline**********breakline**********br eakline**********

"Kay, let me get this straight," Green Arrow fixed his gaze on the fidgeting teens. "Black Canary suggested that you all sleep together, and then Robin started having a nightmare." At their nods he continued, "You couldn't wake him up, so M'gann went inside his mind to see if she could wake him up from there?"

"Yeah," Artemis grumbled.

"What _possessed_ you all and made you idiots!" the senior archer exploded.

"We were worried," Kaldur wouldn't meet his eyes.

GA pinched the bridge of his nose before continuing in a calmer voice. "I know you did what seemed best, and I get it…but what on this good Earth made you think that Robin would be okay with this when this is all over?"

"He won't be. He'll be so angry," KF looked down at his friend.

"Not to mention Bats. With him…well, yeah. I think you know what's going to happen there." GA smirked at that, obviously entertaining some evil thought.

The Team met each other's eyes with greatly suppressed trepidation. They were in trouble; they had known that from the moment M'gann had collapsed and Robin had started struggling. But it's one thing to know something deep down, and it's another to have it flung in your face with no tact whatsoever.

"We are dead," Wally groaned, "dead. Done like dinner. A walking corpse. Robin is going to kill us. And then Batman is going to kill us again and hide our bodies so that they can't be blamed!"

"Pretty much, yeah," GA agreed.

**********breakline**********breakline**********br eakline**********

M'gann collapsed to the ground, sobbing. She didn't know where she was, and she didn't care. All she saw was the little boy's face as he watched everyone he ever cared about die.

"Oh, Dick! I'm so sorry!" She flung her arms around her guide, who was that same boy in that trapeze act, she was sure. The resemblance was too uncanny to not be.

"It's okay, Megan," he was crying silently, ghost tears streaming down his cheeks and through her body to land on the floor and dissolve into nothing. "Now you can find you friend."

M'gann backed off to look at him, "what do you mean?"

"You had to make it through the morals to make it to fears. That's where nightmares are, right?" He blinked at her, and she realized he was right. It didn't matter if he knew of the map of the mind, or that he knew what she was searching for. Robin was what mattered.

"R-right," she gave a weak smile to the younger version of her friend. "Let's go, then."

She held out her hand, but he didn't take it. "I can't go with you."

"Why?"

"I help you navigate, until you find what you're looking for. That my task. He's just beyond the corner…I helped you find him," now Dick looked down. "My job is done."

M'gann felt like a bad person. She shouldn't have to leave Richard, not now, not after he just saw his family fall to their deaths. She should stay with him; that would be the right thing to do…if he was a real person. He was a creation of the mind, and he would dissolve as soon as she left. It was silly to be thinking of him this way, as a person, wasn't it?

"Go," he nudged her leg with his shoulder, shaking her out of her thoughts. "Find Robin. Go."

"I will," she smiled and ruffled his hair gently, causing him to giggle. "And thank you, friend."

His eyes lit up, "friend?"

"Yes…friend," she hugged him one last time. Smiling sadly, she walked through the doorway that had appeared beside her, watching through blurry eyes as he melted into the white walls.

Colours circled around her and bent reality to form her next location. She braced herself for the impact. _This is Robin's nightmare, remember_, she thought, _it's not going to be pretty. Be prepared for the worst, and wake him up. Just wake him up. That's all you have to do._

The scene changed into a night in Gotham. Dogs howled and the sound of police sirens rang through the air. Crime was running rampant, you know, the usual. But here it was the most dangerous. M'gann stood in the middle of Crime Alley, in front of a non-descript warehouse.

But that meant nothing. There were hundreds of warehouses in Gotham, and they all had various uses. Some were just normal warehouses, holding supplies and merchandise. And others for…shadier purposes. M'gann had a sinking feeling that she was in front of the latter.

That hunch was proven right when an ear-shattering scream split the air. M'gann jumped, looking around for somewhere to hide, anywhere would do. There! A pile of garbage overflowed from a bin…the perfect place to burrow in and hide until the danger passed. M'gann tried to run, but…she couldn't.

Her legs wouldn't respond to her commands. They were stuck fast to the ground, like they were encased in cement. Fear not her own was griping her chest in a death grip, and she felt a tug in her navel towards the looming darkness.

"Nonono!" the Martian screeched, frantically tugging on her feet. "Move! C'mon, just move!" They wouldn't.

Thud. Thud. THUD. Heavy sounds reverberated around the corner. M'gann froze; she was dead. The click-clack of polished heels hitting concrete. The teen hero started to sweat.

_Wait a moment_, she realized, _I can't be hurt in dreams. And no one can see me unless I want them to._ She let out a pent up breath and focused on camouflage.

She almost lost it when Joker rounded the corner. His eyes glittered with mirth, and he had a bloody crowbar dangling from his left hand. He had several rips and bloodstains in his purple suit, but he didn't seem to mind. In fact, he seemed much happier that he usually was, and that was saying something. His painted on grin seemed wider than the other times she'd seen him on television.

"Keep up Robbie-poo," he giggled. Oh, that was why.

Robin was tied up with rough rope, and Joker had his thin fingers wrapped tightly around one of the bird's ankles. Robin himself had a cut that ran down his temple to the side of his face, which bled sluggishly. M'gann couldn't see his eyes through his mask, but she just knew they were half-lidded and glazed over.

And Joker was singing to himself.

_One, two…Batsy's boo_

_Three, four…Such a bore_

_Five, six…I will fix_

Joker paused for a moment before adding, "that!" and guffawing loudly.

_Seven, eight…He's my bait_

_Nine, ten…Let's begin then!_

Thugs opened the doors to that stereotypical warehouse, and madman and protégé entered. M'gann could only follow numbly, wondering what she'd gotten herself into.

**********breakline**********breakline**********br eakline**********

Green Arrow had led Artemis away from the rest of the Team to "talk". Well, more like rant to her while she tried not to cringe from the force of his voice.

"This is crazy! How could you let this happen? Our relationship with Batman is already strained enough as it is, the paranoid buggard! Robin's basically the only thing that's keeping him here…"

"And now that will probably end after this," Artemis whispered.

"Yeah," the hood fell back, and Green Arrow transformed into Oliver Queen. The billionaire ran a hand through his shaggy hair.

Artemis bit her lip. Why were these conversations always so hard? Stupid sappiness. "So…where do we go from here?"

Oliver looked hard at his sidekick, er, partner, "what are you hinting at, Artemis?"

The girl looked at her toes. Curse all adults and their stupidness. Did she have to _spell is out_ for him…didn't he see that this was only making things harder for her? "I guess you'll be wanting a new partner, then." When there was no reply, she hazarded a look at his face. His eyes were widened incredulously. "Yeah, not guess. It's a definite…so I'll just be going home then. You don't have to worry about me, though, this has taught me one thing for certain. I belong in this business, not the other one. I-"

"Artemis," Oliver laid his hands on his "niece's" shoulders. She looked up at him with eyes that glistened despite her best efforts. "You're me partner, that's not going to change because of something that you tried to stop. We trust you. I trust you. You belong with us."

A grin split the girl's face. She wrapped her arms around the elder archer's waist and let the tears come. It wasn't like anyone could see her anyway. "Thanks, Ollie," she whispered.

"No problem, kid," was the simple reply.

**********breakline**********breakline**********br eakline**********

Thud. Crunch. Laughter. M'gann winced. Why had she thought this was a good idea? What had made her think this would be easy? She couldn't handle anymore; it was just too terrible to watch.

"Soooo, bird brain, how's your ribs doing?" the psychotic clown grinned wider, if that was even possible. "Do you need some more sauce? Are they juicy enough for you?" Another whack to the chest with the crowbar. Robin let out a quiet whimper. Blood dotted his lips. "Or maybe just a bib?"

"I…think…you need…a muzzle," Robin spat out slowly, "or…a…straightjacket!"

Joker's face turned murderous, "You little-" He grasped Robin's hair and slammed his head into the concrete.

"Ooh, Puddin'! That was a good one!" The long, jersey drawl echoed throughout the abandoned building. Harley Quinn staggered out of the shadows. The bells on her jester's hat jingled sinisterly, and her suit was as skin-tight as ever. From one hand dangled a bottle of some alcoholic beverage, and from the other hunger her customary mallet.

"Harley, my sweet, look at this little tyke!" Joker waved Rob around by his hair. "Hasn't he been such a bad boy? We should give him a time-out." At that he grinned. "Teach 'im a lesson!"

"Ooh, I don't know," the blonde maniac sauntered over. "Ain't he too precious!" She pinched his cheek and twisted. Hard.

"Hmmm," the Joker tapped his blood-red lips, obviously contemplating an alternative plan, "since he's such a little kid, and obviously up past his bedtime…naughty," He waggled his finger at the hero," we…should tell him a bedtime story!"

"Puddin'!" Harley squealed and launched herself at her boyfriend.

"Harley, soooo not he time right now!" The clown prince growled and pushed the girl to the floor with an oof!

"You know, I never was one for 'storytime' back in my day," Robin hissed. M'gann winced. _Don't fight them, Robin_, she silently pleaded, _don't make things any worse for yourself. It's bad enough right now as it is!_

"Well, I think you'll want to hear this one, boy _blunder_!" Joker sneered, and Harley giggled.

"Joker…"

"Shut. Up." A knife was pressed against the ebony's neck. He shut up.

"Good boy!" Harley exclaimed and patted him on the head, like he was a dog.

"Harl, will you let me tell you the story or _what_!" The jester slunk back and Joker continued. "This a story 'bout a circus…with clowns! And there were these trapezists…and they died! Ain't that wonderful?" Robin was deathly pale right now, whether from blood loss or Joker's tale, M'gann didn't know.

"And there's a rhyme, puddin'," Harley prompted.

"The rhyme!" Joker sprang to his feet, like a jack-in-the-box after one too many twists, and intoned in a deep voice…

_Rock-a-bye-birdy, in the big top_

_When Zucco comes, the music will stop_

_When the rope snaps, the Graysons will fall_

_And down will come fam'ly, parents and ALL!_

M'gann thought Robin, or rather Richard Grayson, was going to burst into tears. Either that or strangle the Joker, and screw Batman's 'no killing' rule. His face was deathly pale once more, almost as white as the Joker's, and his cheeks were flaming. His eyes were narrowed to slits, and Joker was so lucky that Robin didn't have heat-vision, or else he'd be a pile of ash right now.

"Robbie-poo, did that upset you?" Joker pinched the teen's nose and shook him back and forth roughly. "Should have warned ya it was PG-13, right? Oopsy! Guess I forgot!" He giggled and slapped Robin's cheeks.

"Oh, bravo!" Another voice sounded out of the darkness. "That was a beautiful performance, Joker. And congratulations to our leading lady!"

Harley smirked and extended a limp hand, "Oh, Scarecrow darling, how nice of you to crash our little partay! And you're just in time for _dessert_!"

"Wonderful!" he drawled and stepped out of the shadows.

M'gann gasped. Scarecrow…he was…there were no words to describe him. Shredded brown and tan fabric hung on his thin frame. Straw poked out of the holes in the cloth, and M'gann could see the welts and scratches that the rough stalks made on the pale skin underneath. A cloth bag was tied over his head and there were dark gaping holes for eyes and nose. His mouth was a grin slashed into the fabric sewed up again poorly to create a frightening face.

"Ya want ta give us a performance of your own, hmmm?" Joker slung an arm around the fellow madman's shoulders. "After all, we are lending you our little bird brain…and he is very precious to us." Joker pouted and clutched at his chest. "I like to look at this as a deposit! Hehehehe!"

"Oh, very well," Scarecrow sighed, "after all, that fear I saw on the boy blunder's face is just too good to pass up."

"Well, have at us!" Quinn leaned forward, a look of morbid excitement on her face. "I want ta hear it!"

Scarecrow just cocked his head (how _did_ one tell if was grinning or not) and began.

_Hey holey smoker_

_The Harl and the Joker_

_The Bat jumped over the moon_

_Quinn just laughed at her little puddin'_

_And the Joker sneered his lips all too soon_

Clapping echoed off the rafters, and Scarecrow bowed deeply, ginning all the while. Robin was just lying there on the ground, limp, unmoving, resigned to his fate. His mask had been torn off at some point, and his blue eyes were half-lidded and filled with pain and fear, and yet…hope. Hope for rescue. Hope for Batman. Blood covered his torso and arms, much more than his injuries should have warranted, and both his legs lay at awkward angles that just screamed broken bones. M'gann just wanted out out out! It was too much! She couldn't handle it! She just wanted to run like a coward and leave Robin to his fate. She choked down a sob; she was a horrible person, a horrible friend.

She watched, horrified, as Scarecrow ambled over to the broken bird and eyes him as if he was a piece of meat. "Oh, what pretty fear that was," he cooed. "I wonder how you would look with my fear gas running through your veins." He stroked Robin's cheek and the teen turned away with tears in his eyes.

"Robin," M'gann whispered.

"Would you cry? Scream? Beg for death?" Scarecrow was reaching into his torn tunic as he crooned. "Choices, choices. All the variables in one pretty package. How long it will take you to break, I wonder."

"No," Robin whispered, and tried to back away, but Joker held him fast.

"Sing for me, birdy, sing a lovely song," Red lips hissed against the hero's ear.

A syringe full of green liquid glinted in anxious fingers. Robin's wrist was exposed. He struggled. No escape. Their grip was too tight. A sting at the entry. Syringe depressed. This was happening. This was happening.

And silence…

Robin was suddenly screaming, as fire ants gouged at his eyes. He was crying, scratching at them to get off get off. And then he was screaming all the louder as the ants disappeared and his eyes bled from the cuts he had inflicted on himself.

Their faces all bled together in the moonlight. Gaping black eyes and grinning mouths leered down at him and butchering knives flickered in the light. The light went out, and laughter echoed from everywhere at once.

M'gann broke free of the hallucination long enough to see Joker spraying his sick laughing gas around the room, and Harley setting a bomb on a timer. Before she could do anything else, she was pulled back in.

Robin watched his parents fall to their deaths. Again. And again. And again. There was suddenly silence in the tent, and Robin welcomed it. His eyes hurt and he had no more voice to yell, no more tears to cry. But it wasn't over; it was never over.

The Team stepped up to the trapeze, and suddenly there was air back in Robin's lungs, to yell, to warn them. But he couldn't speak. Tony Zucco stood before him, with his greasy hair and his cold eyes, and he had his hand over Robin's mouth.

"Watch them fall. Watch them die. This was your doing. This is your fault." The mob boss growled. And he blew cigar smoke over the broken boy.

And Connor jumped. He didn't fly; he fell. He broke apart right in front of Robin. And then Artemis followed. And M'gann. And Kaldur.

"Nononono!" Robin babbled. He was broken. He was a failure. He wasn't a hero, or else he would have been able to stop them. He was a stained glass window, panes of glass fragilely reconstructed from when he had been broken before. He shattered all over again, into even more pieces, and he would never be whole again.

Wally stepped up, and Robin screamed, but his pleas didn't reach his best friend. He crashed just as easily as the others, only his eyes held anger at Robin, accusations.

Robin sank to the ground. Let it be over. Let it be done. Let him join them! Let the ground open up and swallow him up!

"Look, Robin, look at the final act," Zucco pointed, and Robin hopelessly followed his gaze.

Batman stood on the podium, and Robin's heart broke right then and there. And Batman fell. He cracked and splintered right in front of his protégé, who was leaking and almost gone. Screams filled the air, mourning for a lost mentor and lost friends. Gone.

All light faded to black, and Robin curled in on himself. He was blind, he was broken. He was as good as dead, and he probably would be soon. He just wanted it to be over. He screamed into the darkness.

Invisible fingers brushed against his cheek, and the darkness tinged green. It felt as someone was lifting him up and carrying him. He didn't try to struggle. There was no point anymore.

**********breakline**********breakline**********br eakline**********

Wally watched as chaos ensued around him. Artemis and GA were arguing somewhere. M'gann was collapsed in a chair, twitching violently. Connor was pacing, and for once KF was thankful that the clone didn't have laser-vision. Kaldur was just sitting there with his head in his hands.

And Robin…Robin was so still that Wally would have thought him dead if not for the quick beating of his heart that throbbed against Wally's hands.

KF sighed, everything was so wrong, and it had all started because of him and that stupid therapy session. How could have been such an idiot? Why hadn't he forseen all of this? He _should_ have. And now everything was going south, and fast.

A gasp escaped Robin's lips, and Wally tightened his grip on his friend. With a cry, Rob jolted against KF's grip, and started to struggle. Robin had woken up.

**Longest chapter yet! 3, 371 words! Whoop whoop! Please review. It feeds my muse.**


	13. The Aftermath

**Ta da! Chapter 13! M'gann, here is your doom! Mwahahaha! Brace yourself readers! It is the wrath of the Robin!**

**I'd like to thank Firefly98, missIF, hoot17, and Barbara Davis for favouriting and following.**

**Firefly98: hehehe, I'm glad that you like it! And Robin's my favourite too! :)**

**Guest: Why thank you, that's really flattering of you! But get ready for many more twists!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. If I did, I would have had a time traveling episode, where they meet their future selves, and see their kids (who would have been the same age as them), and I would have laughed at their 'O.o' expressions.**

Chapter 13: The Aftermath

Dick was frozen on the bed. He didn't know what to do; he didn't know what to say. To simply put it: he was in shock. Never before in all the time he had been staying here had he felt so helpless, so _blind_. He had thought that they wouldn't cross that line, that the Team would ask questions and be curious and nag at him, and nothing else. In fact, he had expected that. But this was one thing he had not been prepared for at all. To invade him, to violate him so, he just hadn't thought that the situation would even occur.

But it had. And that line had been crossed.

There was a scrabbling noise and a thud. Dick tensed, and noticed that someone was holding him down. That wasn't okay, not okay. It was too restricting, that couldn't happen. Not so soon after the nightmare.

Dick cried out, and pushed at the arms that held him. Not with too much force, his arms were still broken, and he couldn't stand much pain in his weakened state. He didn't have the time to compose and brace himself for the sharp, stabbing vines that would shoot up his arms. But no matter how much he struggled, the arms didn't loosen. In fact, they tightened.

Something about those arms felt familiar, but Dick didn't notice that in the moment. Deep down he knew that it was one of the Team trying to keep him from hurting himself further, but that didn't matter right now. The nightmare was too fresh in his mind for reasonable thought. All he saw was the pale hands holding down and a butchering knife glinting in the light.

"Robin, stop," Wally's voice was right beside his ear. Dick stilled immediately, his breathing starting to slow.

"KF?" came the hoarse whisper.

Wally was so relieved to her his best friend's voice, that he almost hugged Robin. Only his injuries stopped the speedster. He settled for a, "I'm so glad you're awake, Rob! You scared me half to death! Don't you ever do that to me again!"

Robin let out a weak chuckle, "whatever you say, Wally."

Wally let out a sigh, and looked at the Team looking on anxiously. Artemis and Green Arrow had returned, and they had joined the sea of eyes trained on the young bird. Artemis was watching with a concerned expression, glancing back and forth between Robin sitting awkwardly on the bed and M'gann picking herself up from the floor.

M'gann stumbled to her feet, and her wide eyes went immediately to Robin. Wally noticed that she didn't look good at all. Her skin was a sickly pale, green colour, and she was sweating. Her hands shook as they clenched at her skirt, and her lower lip trembled.

Wally gulped. This wasn't going to end well.

M'gann clutched the edge of the bed and pulled herself next to Wally and Robin. Her eyes were widened extremely, and she leaned forward so quickly that she almost smashed her face against Robin's.

"Di…Robin! Oh, are you alright! What I saw-" M'gann whispered fervently, and she reached out to the young bird.

Robin stiffened against Wally. "Stop." His voice was deadly calm, and eerily steady.

M'gann stopped, a confused look on her face. "R-robin?" She stuttered, and her hands shook horribly until she clenched the bed sheets in her fists.

Rob was trembling in Wally's arms, and the speedster awkwardly rubbed his friend's back in an effort to calm him down. This was shaping up to be very ugly, and Wally wasn't sure he could keep his teammates in check. All he could hope for was to try and make sure that his friends didn't shatter into too many pieces, and to repair them as best he could after all the blows were dealt.

"M'gann, I think-" Wally started.

"No, stop Wally," M'gann held up hand and rambled on despite Wally's look of 'no-don't-say-anymore-you'll-make-it-worse'. "Robin, I need you to talk to me."

"What if I _don't_ want to talk, though?" Robin turned his head to fix his bandadged eyes on the intruding Martian.

M'gann sucked in a sharp breath and withdrew slightly. Her eyes were guarded, and she seemed to be debating whether or not to continue, and how to.

"M'gann," Wally tried one last time, putting all of his warning and all of his caution into his voice. He didn't want to say it aloud with Rob right there; he would take offence at being talked over, but he couldn't just stand by and watch Megan make a fool of herself as she tried to repair a rift that needed space before it could be patched up.

"Wally, I need to say this." Once again she turned to Robin. "Robin, I know that you remember all that you saw what happened when I was in your mind."

There was no response.

"I just want to know what you think about what happened, and what you- saw…so we can fix things…Robin?"

The bird had turned his head away from her, and was intently looking at some random place on the wall like it was the most fascinating thing ever. KF could feel the quick beating of the boy wonder's heart, and how short his breaths were. _This needed to end fast_, he realized, _something was wrong, something was very wrong_.

M'gann reached forward and placed her hand on Robin's shoulder. Robin jerked away so fast that it was almost uncanny and hissed, "Don't _touch_ me!"

"Robin…"

"Get out, just get out!" the Martian immediately fled, tears streaming down her cheeks. Robin turned his head to where the rest of the Team was standing awkwardly. "All of you," he sounded more resigned now, "just leave me alone. Please, just go."

Artemis left quickly, her eyes hard. She wasn't good at emotions. If someone wanted her gone, she was happy to leave. She knew that Robin wasn't really angry at the whole Team, that he just needed some time alone to collect himself, so time alone she would give him.

Green Arrow left right after her. Same as Artemis, he wasn't good at emotions, even with him being an adult. The whole Red Arrow fiasco was proof of that.

Kaldur was more reluctant. He was the leader, it was his job to keep the Team together, and this would classify as a break in their connectivity. And he knew from experience that those breaks were hard to repair once broken. But after a moment, he conceded and left Robin to his thoughts. Time alone would do their young friend good.

Connor, like Artemis, left quickly. He got how emotions could overwhelm you and make you say or do things that you would otherwise not do. He got that. And now it looked as if Robin was experiencing that. So he would let him sift through all those emotions to find the ones that really mattered, the ones he should act on.

Wally was the last to leave. He knew Robin the best and he knew that Rob hated to be alone, especially after he'd had a nightmare. This was Robin's anger talking, he didn't really want them gone. So he would calm the Team down and return, for Robin, for his friend.

"I'll be right back, okay?" the speedster whispered before leaving. Robin nodded, and curled the blankets around himself. As KF left the room, his heart broke as he heard wracking sobs shatter the ebony's body.


	14. Tears and Fears

**Okay, don't worry everyone. The action will be coming soon. Chapter 16 will cause some major heart attacks, I promise. (Is that a good thing or not?) And in anticipation for that chapter, I have a proposition for all my lovely readers. Other than Harley Quinn, Joker, and Scarecrow…there will be FIVE other villains. So…eight in total. The first five people who guess them and their matching hero will get to request a oneshot. (ex: two face with kid flash) Note: you can only say one villain by the way. Let the madness commence!**

**I'd like to thank Emiko Sora, RobinsGrillnGotham, Broken Antler in Winter, Csardo, Firefly98, and Courtz24 for following and favouriting!**

**YuuCutie101: I know, it's one of those given things that the Team always seems to do! But it's too good to pass up writing! :P and yes, I believe there will be tears shed in this chapter over Wally and Robin! hehehe**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. If I did, we would see more of the mentor/partner relationships and the details in all that. I know they showed them briefly, but I wanted more detail. I wanted to see how they handled arguments, or teen issues (the birds and the bees would be hilarious).**

Chapter 14:

Wally found M'gann sobbing on the couch. She was curled into a ball, and her green skin had faded away to show Megan Morse, the preppy cheerleader from Happy Harbour High. Only she didn't look very happy, or preppy. She looked absolutely miserable. Her face was a mess of running makeup. Mascara bled down her cheeks, making her look like a broken china doll that you often found in those rundown second-hand stores.

"Megs," Wally said sadly.

Her head shot up, and their eyes met. KF awkwardly sat down beside his fellow redhead and stared at her. He would wait for her to talk first.

He didn't have to wait long.

"Oh, Wally! How could I have been so _stupid_? I should have known, I should have known, I should have known." She flung her arms around the speedster and cried even harder.

The speedster froze for once in his life. He had had a crush on the Martian before, when he had been smitten by her looks. That was also before Connor and she had become an item. No way was he interfering with that. And it wasn't like he was good with girls either. He was hopeless, actually. So this was definitely not his forte.

"It'll get better." Mentally, he smacked himself. _It'll get better? What was I thinking? Of course it doesn't look like it right now: what a stupid thing to say! Pull it together, West!_

She looked up, "how can you say that?"

The teen boy sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I can because it's easy." At her confused look he continued. "Right now things look bad, like they can't get any worse. Well, when another person looks at the situation, they see the entire scene, not just the part that you're stuck in. Robin seems upset, but he will calm down in time, and then the two of you can talk."

M'gann sniffed once, twice. "You really think so?"

"Would I say so otherwise?"

**********breakline**********breakline**********br eakline**********

Dick huddled on his bed, and tried to pull himself together. This was so unfair. He tried to hard to stop these nightmares. He didn't think of what had happened that night…but still the thoughts came. He couldn't stop them, nor could he banish the sight of them eagle spread and glassy eyed.

He was sick and tired of that scene. He was tired of crying endless tears. But then again, he didn't want to forget. Forgetting meant losing a part of himself that made up the core of him, that made him _Robin_. He didn't want to lose that now; he didn't think he could stand it. It was too much a part of him.

But he couldn't just wallow in his own misery either. He needed to get a grip on his emotions if he was going to get better, better enough to be able to move again. Bruce had told him that breathing worked. That the steady breathing would calm his heart beat down and allow him to think more rationally.

In. Out. Why weren't the tears stopping? That research was flawed. Or, maybe that research hadn't been done on superheroes. Maybe it was different when you had been staring death in the face countless times, so much that it became the norm for you, and the norm was foreign.

Tears streamed in ribbons down Dick's face, and he gave up trying to stop them. There was no point.

**********breakline**********breakline**********br eakline**********

There was a knock on Dick's door, and the ebony raised his head to look through his bangs at that foreboding slab of metal. He didn't know who it was, and he didn't care. He just wanted to be alone so that no one could see him cry…and he wanted to lean on someone's, _anyone's_, shoulder and just tell them _everything_. His true identity, his parents, Bruce and Batman, what had happened with the Joker…everything.

"Rob?" KF's voice echoed through the speakers he had installed. "Could I come in?"

Could he? Did Dick, or Robin, want to talk with him? Dick wanted to; he wanted to be his age for once and have real friends who knew him for him and not for his wealth, or Bruce's wealth. Robin was a different story. Batman says not to, and Batman's rule is law. Don't tell him anything. Don't let him in. He'll want to know everything…too much.

And the speedster would certainly want to, and he would be persistent in the way he always was. He would want to know what had happened, and he wouldn't stop until he got answers. Did he want to talk to Wally?

Yes, he did.

"Authorized Guest. Kid Flash. B0…"

The door slid open and Wally hesitantly stepped in. Green eyes swept the room to center on the frail frame that leaned heavily against a wall. How he had gotten to there from the bed, KF didn't know. And what he saw scared the redhead. It wasn't the tear stained face, or the way he held his arms tight to his ribs, or even the fact that he was against the wall instead of resting in bed. It was the bloody bandages that lay in the ebony's lap and the uncovered downcast eyes.

"Dude! Your eyes- holy cow- is- is that supposed to happen?" In a flash Wally was kneeling beside his best friend, his arms outstretched to grasp Robin's shoulder but stopping just before. This was bad. This was really bad.

"KF," it was said as a sentence, not a question.

"Robin? Oh, dang it! I should have come sooner!"

"No, no." A shaking hand gripped Wally's wrist in a death grip. "It's okay…I- could you just help me rebind them?"

Wally sighed deep in his throat, but nodded. That was something he knew how to do. He didn't know how to comfort someone that was even harder to understand than himself. And Wally didn't want to just pat Rob's back and whisper 'there, there' like it would all get better instantaneously. Because it wouldn't. It never did in their profession.

"Where are the bandages?" the redhead asked.

"Dresser. Top drawer." It was said quickly and quietly, like he was hiding something. That obviously meant that he was. Stupid bats, and their stupid paranoia and trust issues. Not to mention plethora of secrets. They probably had those by the millions.

But Wally didn't argue with his friend about that right now. Treating his injuries was far more important than the truth. He would get to the truth afterwards. But for now, bandages.

KF opened said drawer and found a treasure trove of first aid supplies. Braces, splint, medical tape, thread and needle, sedatives, you name it…it was in there. On the top of the alcohol pads was a roll of that all too familiar white cloth.

Vibrating fingers snatched at the fabric and sped over to the crying youngster. A gasp escaped the speedster's lips as he saw the drops of salty water were stained red. Robin was crying tears of blood.

"Robin, your eyes…" Wally breathed, "you're bleeding."

Rob took in a very sharp breath, and he seemed to tremble slightly. Even more tears slipped down his too pale cheeks. KF, concerned, put his arm around his friend, although he didn't really know why he was comforting him. Robin leaned against him heavily, all his weight being supported by the redhead- albeit not much weight to begin with. When had Robin lost so much weight?

"What's wrong, dude?" Wally looked hard at his friend.

"I-" Rob gulped loudly and continued. "I need a needle to numb my eyes so that they don't move and damage themselves more."

"And?"

Now Robin gave KF the hard look. "The needle hurts! It has to be injected into my eye…"

Wally didn't say anything to _that_. What _could_ he? 'It's going to be okay'? 'Nothing bad's going to happen'? As if. There was never an alright with them; something always happened to mess the perfect up. So he couldn't really say something when they both knew it wasn't true.

"Robin?"

"Yes, Wally."

"What do you want me to do, then? I don't want to bandage your eyes, and then you get even _more_ hurt because they weren't treated… oh-my-goodness-what-should-I-do-this-is-bad-this-i s-really-bad-I-can't-give-you-a-needle-to-the-eye- I'll-end-up-blinding-you-oh-wow-what-are-we-going- to-do-what-should-I-"

"Wally."

Said speedster dragged a huge breath in a locked his jaw. He hated when that happened. Darn lips that moved too fast.

"Could you just call Dr. Leslie for me- please?"

Wally sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "Sure thing."

Exactly one phone call later, there descended a silence. Robin didn't say anything, and Wally for once didn't push. He just grabbed some gauze from that bottomless first aid drawer and gently dabbed at the crusted over trails that the tears had taken. He only hoped that Rob would tire of the endless waiting for someone to talk first and to move on from the horrible tension in the air.

But of course he didn't.

Robin didn't say anything, and he avoided all eye contact with KF whatsoever. Maybe it was because the bird was embarrassed for needing someone's help. Maybe it was to hide his eyes and his secret identity. Or maybe it was, and this Wally thought the most likely, that Rob hated for anyone to see him with any vulnerabilities. It made sense, if you thought about it. He was human, and the baby of the Team. And with these injuries, he sure was vulnerable right now. He must hate being seen this way.

So Wally sat there in silence, and let all his thoughts stew. He wanted to talk to Rob about all kinds of stuff (like they had before all this had happened and they were the best friends they once were): how he felt oh so guilty that he hadn't saved him from all this, how he had pushed for that session with BC that had started anything, how he hadn't been able to stop M'gann from entering his mind, how he kept damaging their friendship and messing up and he couldn't stop any of this from happening and he felt so helpless, just like he did with his father…

No. He couldn't think about that. That was one thing he had to keep to himself. His father had expressed explicitly that that information stayed at home, or else there were big consequences. And he didn't want to trouble Robin any more than he already had.

**********breakline**********breakline**********br eakline**********

M'gann wiped at her eyes and tried to keep her form solid, keep it green. It would be awful if she let her disguise slip, and that was just the moment that one of the Team walked in…Kaldur, Wally, Artemis…or worse, Connor.

_It won't happen. I won't let it. I am a green Martian. My skin is green. It will stay green. I won't lose my place here. I won't I won't I won't._ M'gann repeated the mantra over and over in her head, as if that would help her.

She had watched through blurry eyes as Wally had headed back to Robin's/Dick's room to try to calm him down. She wondered how they felt, being normal, not having to hide something so hideous and monstrous. She wondered how it felt to be normal, to be human, not to be an alien that could never fully understand how it was to fit in.

And he hadn't returned so far. She guessed that that meant that Robin hadn't blown up at him like he had at her. And M'gann couldn't really blame him…she had intruded where she shouldn't have intruded, and had seen things she wished that she hadn't seen. And she couldn't ever un-see them. But Wally, Wally was friends with Robin. They were best buds. Robin would forgive Wally, would calm down and talk to him.

And even though the Martian didn't think it possible, even with all the thoughts circling round and round her skull, M'gann fell into an uneasy sleep. And because of her slumber, she did not see Dr. Leslie arrive via zeta tube and hurry down the hallway to Robin's room.

**********breakline**********breakline**********br eakline**********

"Can you look straight ahead for me?" Dr. Leslie talked to Robin while Wally paced in the corner of the room. "Make sure you don't blink so that the needle will go in smoother."

Argh! Wally so wanted to be over there for his friend, but he couldn't go. Rob hadn't wanted him to be there; he had asked if Wally could leave actually. But the speedster had flat out refused, and so Wally was stuck in the corner with only the view of the back of Robin's head.

The redhead didn't think it was because of looking vulnerable that Robin had wanted to send him away. He thought it was rather the reason of protecting his secret identity, 'cause one couldn't hide behind hair when someone was sticking a needle into your eye.

Wally knew that Rob secretly wanted someone to be there so that he wasn't alone when this happened. He knew that the bird was scared, and that even just the presence of another person would make things better. Or a holding someone's hand, even if Robin broke his with his grip. And Wally wished once again that the Batman hadn't set such strict rules about secret identities. Stupid bat paranoia.

Dick sucked in another breath, watching as Leslie readied the syringe and needle. He had always hated needles, feared them even, and after the incident he was even more scared. You know, having crazy people dressed up as scarecrows injecting you with substances tends to do that to a person. Now he wasn't even sure if he could go through with this without a panic attack.

"Can you focus on a spot on the wall, Robin?" Leslie laid a hand on the boy wonder's shoulder.

Dick tried to do exactly that, but it was so hard. Out of the corner of his eye, he kept catching glimpses of the metal glinting in the light. He tried to look somewhere else instead, but his gaze just kept drifting back to that sharp point and the liquid that would travel through. No matter how hard he tried, his peripherals just kept working too well.

He felt a gloved hand rest itself on the side of his face, fingers pressing into his skin to keep him from moving. His breath quickened, and all the flash backs started coming. The crowbar hitting hitting him, and the words carved into his skin, and the syringe of green liquid coming ever closer.

Dr. Leslie brought the needle forward, and Dick lost it.

**********breakline**********breakline**********br eakline**********

Wally watched as Robin slept. It wasn't creepy or anything, it was just nice to see him without a scowl on his face. Also, Dr. Leslie had asked him to stay while she went to go treat Batman, who had gotten his daily dose of injuries from his local grouping of crazies. She had said that she didn't want him to have a nightmare while he was sedated and he couldn't wake up from it.

And Wally still hadn't found anything out about what had happened to his best friend. He hadn't wanted to push for it because he knew that Rob would blow up at him, and after all that had happened that was the last thing the little bird needed. So KF had remained silent, but he highly regretted it now. Now he was left wondering what was going through his head if he slept, and if he was reliving that night over and over again.

He sat there in silence for a while. Just stewing over his thoughts. Thinking back on all that that happened over the last three weeks: the tension of waiting to hear about Robin's condition, finding out that the damage done had been even harder than he had previously imagined, trying to make up for his mistakes and only making things worse, watching everything spiral out of control as Robin grew more and more detached from him.

But Wally couldn't stay silent for long.

"You know, Rob, I've been beating myself up over and over in my head over what happened to you. It's bad enough that you go through this on a daily basis, fighting all those psychos, and you have to get beaten half to death and tortured on top of it all."

Robin stirred and groaned low in his throat. Wally rubbed his friend's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. _Not another nightmare, not so soon. He's been through enough. Let him rest. Just for this night, please._ After a few minutes of bated breath, the ebony settled down into the soft blankets once more.

"And you know the worst part about it all? I could have done something to stop all of this, I know I could have!" Wally stopped, and realized he had been raising his voice so that he was almost shouting. "I saw you on the tv that night, when you were in the warehouse fighting Scarecrow and Joker. And I just changed the channel; I didn't even keep watching to see if you were alright. Some friend I am, right?

"And then you came in the cave with all your injuries and you were hurting so much, and I could have stopped that and I didn't!"

Robin tossed and turned in his bed, his mouth forming soundless words and his arms clawing futilely at the empty air. His hand collided with his nightstand and knocked his sunglasses to the floor. KF reached down, picked them up, and replaced them to their original position.

"So I told myself that I would fix things, that I would make you better and that would repair the big mistake that I had made. Btu everything I did just made things worse, and it all went downhill, and now you're injured again on top of everything else! I don't know what to do now; I don't know how to make things normal again."

The metal door slid open and Batman limped into the room. He made a beeline for Robin and glared at KF viciously. But Wally got it; he was just going into DaddyBats mode, attacking anything that came between him and his protégé. So Wally would leave them alone.

"Thank you for staying, Wally," Dr. Leslie whispered to him as she passed him on her way to Robin's bed.

Wally just smiled weakly, and walked out of the room.

Once out his knees gave way, and he slid against the wall to land in a heap on the floor. The tears he had been holding back finally came in ribbons, and he just let it all out. After that was done, he leaned exhausted against the wall. "You know the worst part about it all, Robin? I've been wanting to tell you all this ever since you arrived. But I couldn't. I couldn't find the courage to actually voice it all. And the one time that I do? It's when you're unconscious and can't possibly hear me and judge me! So I guess I really am a coward; I can't even tell my best friend the truth. So, I'm really sorry Rob, I'm so so sorry."

And Wally West fell asleep right then and there, tear stains still on his face.


	15. The Calm Before the Storm

**Ookay, YuuCutie101, you got the Superboy villain correct! Ding ding ding! We have a winner! Please pm me your request for a oneshot, and I will do my outmost to do it justice! :p**

**I'd like to thank ASacfan101, fofo amr, Karin Matthews, CovenantGirlLoki, EpicComicLover26, Kitte-Wolf, lilywhitlockhaletheblackrose, Deweline, and black punk for favouriting and following.**

**Megan: thank you so much! That was my goal of the last chapter, and I'm glad I can draw those feelings out with my writing. **

**YuuCutie101: Thank you so much! And yes, guilt and blame are the themes I'm trying to get across in this story! I always include one, I find it helps move the story along for me when I have a universal emotion to draw on. And I would love to hear what your thought process for the other villains you said were!**

**Dragonfire-wolfgirl: that is a cool villain pairing, actually! I never actually considered that! I just might steal that from you for another story, if you're fine with that :P**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. If I did, I would have included Jason Todd in the series, and I would have had a heartbreaking episode where he dies and everyone would have to cope with that. Then the reaction when Tim joined the Team would have been shown and how people reacted to having another Robin when their last one was dead.**

Chapter 15: The Calm Before the Storm

Happy Harbour 1 week later 5:31 pm

Well, things didn't get any better after the nightmare incident. In fact, they got even worse. Wally seemed even more withdrawn and erratic than he had been before, and he only ate in quick bursts and not enough even then. Artemis could tell that he was losing weight and that he was not sleeping well by the bags underneath his eyes.

M'gann wasn't faring any better. She seemed to be trying to compensate for everyone's gloom, but you could tell that it was forced. Her smiles were just a little too wide, and her laughs just a little too loud. And her baking skills had diminished greatly: cookies that before had only been slightly brown on the bottom transformed to black pieces of coal that had ceased being edible twenty minutes before.

And the atmosphere was missing as well. Artemis used to look forward to arriving at the cave, to smell the scent of baking cookies, to see Wally and Robin talking about some new far out video game that was just on shelves, Kaldur reading a book but still looking out over the Team, and Connor looking at static with utter content. Now none of that was there. The cave was dead silent. Someone would sometimes try to bring up conversation, but it would soon die out when no one took the bait.

The worst part of all was Robin. He seemed to be completely broken now. He was now on crutches, as the casts on his arms had been taken off, and the customary sunglasses were once again perched on his nose, but he seemed even more delicate than he had before. Before he had chirped at anyone trying to baby him. Before he had smiled sometimes and he had engaged in conversation with the Team. Now it was different. He now hovered at the edge of the group, watching everyone carefully. He would only talk if a question was asked of him, and then he would only say one or two words in response. He wouldn't talk to M'gann at all.

The Team was falling apart.

Artemis sighed and looked down into her soggy bowl of cheerios. This was the worst day yet. M'gann hadn't even exited her room today, and Supey had followed suite: taking one look at the room minus M'gann and then immediately walking straight back to the hallway. Kaldur had eaten in silence and politely excused himself to go swim in the pool, his own form of therapy.

Wally had been hanging around Rob for the past two weeks, and silent ghost, which was unusual for him. Art was used to having him run his mouth for hours on end with no sign of stopping in sight. Now the silence was killing her, and she would give anything to have their noise Kid Mouth back to them. He was now picking at his pancake, which worried the blonde. She had heard the lecture from Batman and Dr. Leslie, who it seemed had appointed her as the cheerleader for the ragtag group. Wally needed to keep his energy up, and he wasn't getting nearly enough with the amount that he was intaking.

And since when was she a babysitter for teens the same age as her? Come. On. This was so unfair. As if she wasn't going through a minor sort of depression as well. You couldn't live with this bunch and not have some of their _wonderful_ mood rub off on you! Sure, she wasn't letting it get the best of her; like the others were….she was a strong person. There was nothing special about that.

Well, this was tiring. Artemis reached across the table and shoved the entire pancake into Wally's mouth. He made a muffled glowfth sound, and instinctly swallowed. Mission accomplished.

The stool beside the archer scraped, and she jumped and turned to glare at the person. But that glare died quickly when the boy wonder slumped down in the seat. She hadn't heard him come in the room, and she wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. It was good that he was starting to figure out how to walk in his crutches (before he had tripped over them a lot and made loads of noise) and it was bad that she now couldn't keep track of him as well now that he could ninja away on her.

"Good morning, Robin," Artemis looked hard at the ebony beside her. He hadn't given any indication that he had seen her or Wally yet, and she wondered if he even had.

His head jerked up, and dark tinted sunglasses looked into her brown eyes. It was like they had a mini showdown right there in the kitchen, each one daring the other to look away first. Artemis was so sure that she would lose this, and the thing was that she wanted to. If she lost this, it would mean that the snarky, trolling Robin that she knew was back, and the small, lost boy that had replaced him would be gone. She would gladly lose if that were to happen.

But that didn't happen. Robin looked down at the hands that lay in his lap and muttered, "Good morning."

Artemis gave him a smile in return, which he didn't see, but it was a weak one. She had won, but she had also lost.

Wally pushed his stool back with a huge scrape and left the room. Artemis watched Robin eat his small breakfast in silence.

**********breakline**********breakline**********br eakline**********

The Team had filed slowly into the training room, and were distantly listening to Black Canary give a lesson on elbow blocks and using your opponent's strength against you. But really, not much information was being absorbed by said teens' brains at all. Their focus was elsewhere.

M'gann was looking back and forth between Robin and Connor with worry. Connor was glaring at the floor with single minded determination. The floor was doing nothing in return. Kaldur was staring into space, as was Robin. Wally was glancing from time to time at Robin, as if he wouldn't notice. And Artemis was actually paying attention to the lesson.

"…So when someone stronger comes at you with a fist raised you…Wally?"

"Huh? What?"

BC sighed. "Wally, were you paying attention?"

"Oh…sure. I, uh, was just caught off guard there for a second."

The blonde siren raised a single eyebrow. "Oh?" At the speedster's nod she continued, "then you won't mind answering my question. What do you do when someone stronger than you strikes a punch?"

"I dodge super speed, of course."

"That's not the answer, Wally. If you couldn't use your powers, what would you do?"

Artemis saw the redhead's eyebrow's snap together and she knew he was about to snap. She had seen that expression countless times, after all, when they argued with each other. This was not going to be good.

"Well I _do_ have powers! And why wouldn't I use them in a fight! I won't let myself get taken advantage of! I have powers! I'm not _weak_!"

The silence that followed was terrible.

Wally turned his gaze to Robin who stood stiff and rigid, his eyes burning with rage behind his shades. Wally desperately wanted to run over to his friend and apologize and beg for forgiveness, but he just couldn't find the words that he would say that would even make the apology worthwhile. It would just be empty words to Robin, he was sure. So he remained mute.

"So you think that those without powers are weak?" Robin's voice was even and slow. Every sound was carefully articulated, and it tore into the speedster's heart. Wally even wished that Rob would yell at him or something, just explode, because this calm anger was killing him.

"No, I-"

"You what, Wally?! You what?!" Okay, now he was yelling at him, and this wasn't any better than the calm voice. It was almost like a physical barrage, like his words were actually pushing Wally backwards, like he couldn't stand the force of them.

"Robin? Is there something you need to talk-" BC started forward.

"Shut up! I'm not going to just sit there and spill my guts out to you while you smile and nod like you understand!" Robin pointed an accusing finger at their den mother.

There was a sharp intake of breath from the Team. Although they all got upset at each other, no one ever got upset at any of the adult heroes, at least not in public. Sure, each protégé probably argued with their respective mentors, but that was in private and was expected in a working relationship. But no one ever snapped at Black Canary; it was basically considered taboo within the group. No one ever said it out loud, but it was still generally known among the teens that she was too nice to ever cross. She just wanted what was best for all of them, and she never got mad at each of them in return. She was sort of their surrogate mother, and they all loved her dearly.

And now Robin had finally voiced the unspeakable, he had gotten upset at the one person of the Justice League who truly believed that they could be something other than just sidekicks (Red Tornado didn't count: he was a what, not a who).

"Robin! This had got to stop! Talk to us, we can help!" M'gann rose off the group and floated nearer to Robin, and Artemis thought for a moment that the Martian might actually be able to reach out to their hurting teammate. But Robin turned his head suddenly and gave the redheaded girl such a withering glare that she immediately sank back to the group, her eyes tearing up.

Artemis stole a glance at BC and quickly wished that she hadn't. Dinah was standing still and rigid, her eyes wide and filled with hurt. It looked like she was in shock, as if the thought that Robin might not want anyone prying into him at all had never crossed her mind.

Silence stretched through the room as everyone tried to figure out what to say to make the situation better but also not upsetting the bird that was sending death glares through the group, daring them to voice a protest, any protest. Artemis knew that this couldn't go on much longer, that the Team would either try to comfort their smallest friend or flee the scene.

Apparently the latter was much easier.

M'gann left first. She started to cry and she ran out. Later on the slam of a door was heard down the hall. Connor soon followed to comfort his girlfriend, his only emotion being a small frown sent in Robin's direction.

"O-okay, let's continue this lesson tomorrow when we've all had time to cool down. If any of you want to talk about anything, I'll be in my room." The sharp click-clack of Black Canary's heels was heard as she walked away from the mess.

Kaldur ran a hand through his short hair and sighed a deep sigh. His eyes ran around the room as he assessed all that was happening. But he didn't try to talk to Robin as the leader of the Team; he just left in the direction of the pool. It seemed that that was his personal form of therapy to escape the complications of this problem.

Wally was one of the last to leave. Artemis saw him several times try to reach out to hug Robin, but pull back at the last possible moment. Robin was either ignoring the speedster, or he just didn't see the conflict that Wally was going through. But Wally eventually left, speeding out of the cave via zeta tube.

And then there was just Artemis and Robin left.

Artemis left quickly to get a water bottle from the fridge, and when she returned she found Robin crying on the floor. The crutches were thrown to the ground a short distance away from him, and the casts on his legs kept him from getting up and reaching them. In short, he was stuck.

So the blonde walked over and picked them up. "Here."

Red-rimmed eyes covered by dark tinted glasses looked into uncovered oriental ones. "I don't need any special treatment."

"I know you don't, but it's pretty obvious to me that you can't get those on your own." She paused and smirked. "If it makes you feel any better, I can return them to where they were and leave you to struggle?"

"…Shut up and just give me the crutches."

She laughed and did as he told her.

**********breakine**********breakline**********bre akline**********

"Wally?" M'gann poked her head around the doorframe to look just outside the cave. Her fellow redhead was sitting on the flat rock that rested on the top of the mountain. It was a landing pad in its day, but now it served as a nice place to watch the sunset. But there wasn't much sunset watching being done here: there was more of the moping being done.

"What?" the sound the came out of the speedster didn't sound like his normally happy self at all. Well, he hadn't for a while now. But he sounded even sadder than he had when he was already sad. He was crying, for one thing. Great big tears that had made his eyes all puffy and red and his freckles stand out on his cheeks in comparison to his way too pale face. In addition his nose was running, and he wasn't even bothering to wipe up any of it. He just had his arms wrapped around his knees as he cried his heart out.

"Oh, Wally, I'm so sorry!" the Martian flew over and enveloped the speedster in a great big hug. "This must be so hard for you!"

He looked at her wide eyed, "You mean-"

She looked back with guilt written all over her face. "I- after the incident with Robin my control's been slipping. I didn't mean to- and you were really open- you have been lately- and it slipped out of your mind during training today- I understand that you've been bottling it all in."

M'gann bit here lip when Wally stared at her. _Oh goodness, please don't reject me too; I don't think I can handle any more!_ "Wally! Say something…please?"

There was a moment of silence when Wally looked down at his knees. And in that moment M'gann thought she heard her heart break a thousand times over. One would think she would have felt it, but that was no the case. Instead it was like she felt nothing. She was just _numb_. It was like eternity passed by in those few seconds and the world froze.

"Megan," Wally took a deep breath to steady his voice, "I- I understand. We've all been a mess lately, and your powers are even more fueled by emotions than the rest of us. So I understand how it could have leaked into your mind…"

The Martian's legs suddenly seemed like jelly and she sank to the ground next to the speedster.

"Wally…thank you."

**********breakline**********breakline**********br eakline**********

It was late at night when Artemis woke up. In the distance the familiar sound of a fist colliding with a punching bag was reverberating through the wall beside her bed. The archer sighed, this was the reason that Black Canary had banned any late night workouts: it prevented those who were actually trying to sleep from doing so.

"If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself," Artemis grumbled as she slipped out of bed and padded silently down the hallway. "I'm going to give this person a piece of mind when I meet them- they're going to wish that they were never born…"

Artemis turned the corner and found Robin using his one good arm to punch the bag repeatedly. His face was filled with determination, jaw set, masked eyes narrowed.

"What _are_ you doing?!"

Robin froze and slowly turned around the face Artemis. What he saw was a terror, a tall menace with long, blonde hair flowing down her back. He almost shrank away from her. Almost. Because under that terrifying image was his friend. The archer who he could talk with about insecurities about being human, who didn't pity him, who just accepted that he didn't want to talk about _that_ night.

"I'm just getting some stuff out," he whispered.

"It's late, you know? I was sleeping," her voice was sharp, but he could still hear the smirk in it.

"Oops?"

She laughed quietly. "C'mon, let's get some sleep."

"Okay," he grabbed his other crutch which he had leaned against the wall. He hobbled over to her and gave a small smile.

And the wall exploded.

Flying debris went everywhere, and both heroes went down in a spray of stones. In the hole that had been blasted out stood Joker…he held a bazooka loosely and his grin plastered on his face. "Hey, kiddies, mind if we join you?"

**Mwahahahahahaha! Enjoy the cliffhanger! *runs for life from rabid readers* I will write this soon! Don't forget to guess the other four villains! You get a oneshot request! Please Review! Bye! *barricades self in room***


	16. Disaster, Heavy on the Dis

**Hey, I'm back with the chapter you've all been waiting for :). I've posted a poll for my next stories. Please check it out and vote, as it will influence the next Young Justice fanfic. **

**I'd like to thank Sairey13, Irisflower101, yorkiepudding, Booklover20011010, MrBgRedD, XxTheDeadlyBlackxX, Aerrow4Ever, Eden Areru, thwipthwipity, and Lost Reasons for favouriting and following.**

**Guest: But it's so much fun! :P**

**ImaGuest: Yep, very serious. Why so serious? Hehehe!**

**Dragonfly-wolfgirl: Thanks! A oneshot may just be getting posted with Riddler in it! :)**

**AnotherRobinFan: Thanks! *bandages back wound* I am glad that you like the 'angsty goodness' :P and I may be leaving you with another cliffie, but I came prepared! *hides behind shield***

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. If I did, I would have included Talia al Gul and the tension between her and Batman, and maybe start hinting towards the birth of the demon child known as Damian Wayne. Because Damian would have been awesome on that show!**

Chapter 16: Disaster, Heavy on the Dis

The two heroes stared in horror as the crazed clown staggered through the rubble towards them. He giggled, high pitched and continuously raising in volume until it boomed off the cavern walls and it because became an unbearable noise. Artemis noted that Rob was paler than the ninja usually was as she swept her eyes over the scene: they really needed a miracle to get out of this situation, if they even could.

'Cause things weren't looking too good right now.

A shaking hand clamped itself on her wrist and she met Robin's eyes/mask. The white screens were wide and he looked like he was about to have a panic attack, but he still seemed to be in control. He was still by far the most experienced of the sidekicks, the most experienced in a city full of psychopathic murderers where he had no powers and only his strength as a human being to go on. Any other people would go mad in that situation. Looking at the white knuckles and the wide eyes, she wondered if maybe he had a little.

One word escaped his lips. "Superboy."

And Artemis knew what he meant with that one word. She turned her head toward the hallway and bellowed, "Connor, get your butt out here!"

"Ooh! Pretty blonde girl thinks that big bad Kryptonian boy can stop me! HahahahahaHA!" The skin on the madman's face stretched impossibly tight. It was creepy and scary and just downright sinister.

"Well, he _is_ indestructible and all, so…yeah," Artemis shot the boy wonder a look. His voice was cocky and carefree, but his grip on her arm tightened even further, if that was possible. What was Robin doing; what was his goal?

"Boy Blunder, I'm insulted! You think I'd come alone?"

"Nope. I know 'bout the breakout. All of Arkham? Now that's an impressive feat! I'd just like to know who you brought with you."

Thu-wunk. Stomp stomp stomp. Connor leaned into the room, a frown on his face. "I _was_ sleeping."

Joker popped up in front of the clone, and the difference between the two was almost comical. For one, Connor almost never smiled, and the Joker never _stopped_ smiling.

"Peekaboo! I see you!"

Superboy immediately swung a fist at the clown, and he (predictably) bent back to avoid it Matrix style. He chuckled to himself, bringing out a crowbar that was flecked with fluorescent green. Connor staggered back under the effects of the Kryptonite, his face showing the shock that Artemis knew he must be feeling. He had never been under the influence of the green rock before, and it must hurt to find out you're not as invincible as you seem to be.

"Naughty, naughty," Joker wagged his finger at the Kryptonian, "no attack-ey right now."

The Joker skipped back in front of the non-metas. He leaned forward until Artemis could see the grime and the grit in between his crooked, yellow teeth. She resisted the urge to gag.

"Missy Arrow don't look too good!" He patted her cheek with clammy fingers. "But I know someone who can make it alllll better!"

"Whoa, back off Joker!" Artemis could feel Robin's pulse pick up.

"Hehehe! Worried, Robbie-Poo?"

"Joker…" Robin growled.

"Oh, yes! How could I forget that _wonder_-ful question you posed?" Blood shot eyes met masked ones. "I broughtcha some friends! Wanna meet 'em?" And he beckoned to the hole in the wall despite Robin's fervent shaking of his head.

A familiar figure ducked his head to fit through the gap, his masked face grinning: Bane. The Mexican drug lord that they had defeated on Santa Prisca.

"How-" Connor gaped.

"Gotham is a gold mine in trading, chicos. Too good opportunity to miss, ya? Plus, there's always street cred for breaking the Bat's little bird." He smirked and looked behind him. "Come on up, senoritas, there's plenty of fresh meat to go around."

He reached down and hauled up two female villainesses. Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. Masked and pale green faces surveyed the three teens that stood in defensive stances.

"Joker, you promised six of them. I only see three." Ivy frowned at the clown.

"Worry, worry, worry! They are here! I can _smell_ them!" He gestured to the air wildly.

Ivy didn't look comforted by that statement. Instead she turned to Bane. "Do you know where they are?"

"Freeze did say that he saw movement on the roof. He went to investigate."

Just then the culprit himself entered the scene. Behind him he dragged the unconscious form of Wally by his arm. The ginger's red curls were matted and damp with sweat. But the most horrifying image of all were his legs…they were both broken. Twisted beyond imagination, bone protruding from bloody skin. His metabolism was already trying to heal himself, but it couldn't reset bone…the legs would have to be painfully re-broken for them to heal properly.

"Wally…" Artemis breathed.

Scarecrow staggered in after Freeze with M'gann's unconscious body carelessly slung over one shoulder. Poison Ivy's eyes lit up at the sight of her. They were filled with the insane genius that Artemis had grown used to seeing in the eyes of Gotham's crazies.

"Oh, her skin is _lovely_!" Ivy reached for the Martian.

"Then by all means, enjoy yourself!" Scarecrow handed M'gann over the eco-terrorist and Poison and Ivy and M'gann were soon lost as Ivy dragged her off into a secluded room.

"Two more, and then we are complete! And then we can begin!" Joker stroked Robin's mask.

Firefly flew into the room, his suit containing all of his massive burns. "Where's the Atlantean."

"Asleep somewhere; I dunno." Joker frowned at the yellow bug.

"Where?"

"Find. Him." Joker hissed, and the blonde archer saw in that moment his bad side. It wasn't pretty. But as soon as it came it was gone, replaced by his usual grin. "Well, chop chop!"

The last villain entered the cave. "I'm late, I'm late." Artemis's blood ran cold. She knew this villain well; Jade had always liked him. Mad Hatter.

His eyes met hers. "Alice! At last!" And everything went dark.

**So yep, another cliffie. I am so going to die this time. *boards windows shut***

**The villains are as followed (in case you got confused with my storytelling).**

**Poison Ivy- M'gann**

**Firefly- Kaldur**

**Mad Hatter- Artemis**

**Bane- Superboy (guessed by YuuCutie101- you still owe me a oneshot request)**

**Mr. Freeze- Wally (guessed by Karesor17)**

**Joker and Harley Quinn- Robin (why I keep torturing him, I don't know TT)**

**Scarecrow- well, that's the mystery, isn't it?**

**And on that note, I leave you all for the safety on my room. Please review and vote on my poll for my next stories.**


End file.
